Award-winning cinematographer James Wong Howe was known for his innovative filming techniques. While filming a boxing match for the movie...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

Sentence 1:

• Award-winning cinematographer James Wong Howe
  • was known
    • for his innovative filming techniques.

Sentence 2:

• While filming a boxing match
  • for the movie Body and Soul (1947)[?]
• Howe
  • had a handheld camera operator wear roller skates.

Sentence 3:

• This
  • allowed the operator
    • to move smoothly
      • around actors
        • in a boxing ring,
    • creating an immersive experience
      • for viewers.

Understanding the Meaning

Let's start from the beginning:

"Award-winning cinematographer James Wong Howe was known for his innovative filming techniques."

This introduces us to James Wong Howe and tells us he was famous for his creative camera work.

Now the next sentence begins:
"While filming a boxing match for the movie Body and Soul (1947)____"

This is where we have the blank. Let's look at the choices:

1. (1947), and
2. (1947),
3. (1947) and
4. (1947)

So we're deciding whether to use a comma after (1947), and whether to include "and" or not.

To see what works here, let's read the rest of the sentence and understand what it's saying!

The complete sentence is:
"While filming a boxing match for the movie Body and Soul (1947)____ Howe had a handheld camera operator wear roller skates."

Now let's understand the structure here:

• "While filming a boxing match for the movie Body and Soul (1947)"
  • This sets up the context - it's telling us WHEN this happened
  • It's giving us background information before the main action

• "Howe had a handheld camera operator wear roller skates"
  • This is the main action of the sentence
  • This tells us what Howe actually did

What do we notice about the structure?

• We have an introductory phrase ("While filming...") that sets the scene
  • This needs to be separated from the main part of the sentence

• The main part comes after: what Howe did
  • When you start a sentence with this kind of introductory setup, you need a comma to separate it from the main action

• We don't need "and" here
  • "And" is used to connect two equal parts or actions
  • But here, the "While filming..." part isn't an equal action - it's just providing context for the main action

So we need a comma after (1947), but no "and."

The correct answer is Choice B: (1947),

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Using Commas After Introductory Elements

When a sentence begins with an introductory phrase or clause that provides context or background (called an introductory element in grammar terms), you need to use a comma to separate it from the main part of the sentence:

Pattern:

• Introductory element, Main clause.

Examples:

1. Introductory phrase: After studying for three hours, Maria felt prepared for the exam.
   • "After studying for three hours" = introductory element setting up context
   • Comma needed
   • "Maria felt prepared for the exam" = main action
2. Introductory clause: While the team celebrated their victory, the coach reviewed game footage.
   • "While the team celebrated their victory" = introductory clause providing background
   • Comma needed
   • "the coach reviewed game footage" = main action
3. In this question: While filming a boxing match for the movie Body and Soul (1947), Howe had a handheld camera operator wear roller skates.
   • "While filming a boxing match for the movie Body and Soul (1947)" = introductory element
   • Comma needed after (1947)
   • "Howe had a handheld camera operator wear roller skates" = main action

Important distinction: Don't confuse this with situations where you're connecting two equal independent clauses with "and" - that's a different structure. Here, the introductory element is providing context, not stating an independent action, so it just needs a comma, not "and."