Richard Spikes was a prolific African American inventor known for his contributions to automotive engineering. Between 1907 and 1946, he...

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

• Richard Spikes was a prolific African American inventor
• known for his contributions to automotive engineering.

• Between 1907 and 1946,
• he patented many inventions,
  • (?) an automobile turn signal,
  • a safety brake,
  • and—most famously—the first automatic gearshift.

• Where (?) = included / includes / including / will include

Understanding the Meaning

Let's start reading from the beginning:

'Richard Spikes was a prolific African American inventor known for his contributions to automotive engineering.'

• This introduces who Richard Spikes was –
  • an inventor who made many contributions to automotive engineering

'Between 1907 and 1946, he patented many inventions,'

• This tells us the main action of the sentence:
  • he patented many inventions during this time period
• 'Patented' is the main verb here (past tense)
• The comma signals that more information is coming

Now here's where we need to fill in the blank:

• '______ an automobile turn signal, a safety brake, and—most famously—the first automatic gearshift.'

Let's look at our choices:

• We're deciding between: included, includes, including, will include
• These are different forms of the verb "include"

What's happening here? Let's think about the relationship:

• The sentence already has its main complete thought: 'he patented many inventions'
• What comes after the comma is giving us specific examples of what those inventions were
• This is adding detail about the inventions, not stating a new separate action

If we used "included," "includes," or "will include":

• These are all finite verbs (complete verb forms that need their own subject)
• But there's no subject after the comma for a new verb
• Using any of these would create a grammatical error (fragment/comma splice)

But "including" works differently:

• It's a participle form – the -ing form that describes or modifies
• It introduces examples or specifics without creating a new independent clause
• It means something like "which included" or "such as"
• It adds descriptive detail to "many inventions"

What do we notice about the structure?

• Main complete thought: 'he patented many inventions'
• After the comma: a descriptive phrase introduced by a participle
• This phrase gives specific examples of what the inventions were
• It's not trying to state a second action – it's elaborating on the first

So we need including – it creates a modifying phrase that adds specific examples to elaborate on "many inventions."

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Using Participles to Add Details and Examples

When you want to add specific examples or descriptive details about something you just mentioned, you can use a comma followed by a present participle (the -ing form of a verb, called a participle in grammar terms) to introduce those details. This creates a modifying phrase rather than a new independent clause:

Pattern:

• Main clause (complete thought) + comma + participle + details/examples

Examples:

• Complete thought: The museum displays many artifacts
• With participle adding details: The museum displays many artifacts, including ancient pottery, medieval weapons, and Renaissance paintings
  • "displays" = main verb
  • "including" = participle introducing specific examples

• Complete thought: She demonstrated several techniques
• With participle adding details: She demonstrated several techniques, ranging from basic brushstrokes to advanced shading methods
  • "demonstrated" = main verb
  • "ranging" = participle introducing the range of examples

In our question:

• Main verb: "patented" (he patented many inventions)
• Participle: "including" (introducing which specific inventions)
• The participle phrase adds detail without creating a new independent clause

This structure keeps the sentence flowing smoothly while adding elaboration.