The merger agreement (finalized after months of negotiation by the corporate _____ establishes a new framework for collaboration between the...

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

• The merger agreement
  • (finalized after months of negotiation
    • by the corporate team [?]
• establishes a new framework
  • for collaboration
    • between the two pharmaceutical companies
      • in developing treatments
        • for rare diseases.

Understanding the Meaning

• 'The merger agreement'
  • This is what the sentence is about - some kind of agreement about a merger.
• Then we get extra information in parentheses:
  • '(finalized after months of negotiation by the corporate team'
• Notice that opening parenthesis "(" before "finalized"?
  • This signals that we're getting additional background information
  • It's telling us how and when this agreement came to be
  • The corporate team worked on negotiations for months before finalizing it
• Now here's where we need to fill in the blank:
  • Right after 'team' - what punctuation do we need?
• Let's look at our choices:
  • A gives us: team,
  • B gives us: team—
  • C gives us: team:
  • D gives us: team)
• What do we notice?
  • The sentence opened a parenthesis with "(" before "finalized"
  • Parentheses work in pairs - they're like bookends
  • If you open with "(", you must close with ")"
  • You can't mix and match - you can't open with a parenthesis and then close with a comma, dash, or colon
• So we need: team) - this closes the parenthetical information.
• Now let's read the rest to see the complete picture:
  • After the parenthetical phrase closes, the sentence continues: 'establishes a new framework for collaboration between the two pharmaceutical companies in developing treatments for rare diseases.'
• The complete structure is:
  • The merger agreement (extra info about how it was finalized) establishes a new framework...
  • The parentheses properly enclose the background information
  • The main sentence flows: "The merger agreement establishes a new framework..."

Grammar Concept Applied

Matching Paired Punctuation Marks

Parentheses are punctuation marks that work in pairs - you always need both an opening "(" and a closing ")" to properly set off information. Think of them like bookends that must match.

When you use parentheses to add extra information:

Pattern:

• Opening parenthesis: (
• Information inside: extra details, background, or clarification
• Closing parenthesis: )

Example 1:

• The scientist (who had studied climate change for twenty years) presented her findings.
• Opens with "(" after "scientist"
• Closes with ")" after "years"
• Both parentheses present and matching

Example 2:

• My brother loves all reptiles (especially snakes and lizards) and wants to be a herpetologist.
• Opens with "(" after "reptiles"
• Closes with ")" after "lizards"
• The pair properly encloses the specific examples

In this question:

• The merger agreement (finalized after months of negotiation by the corporate team) establishes...
• Opens with "(" before "finalized"
• Must close with ")" after "team"
• You cannot substitute commas, dashes, or colons to close a parenthesis

Key principle: Once you open with a specific punctuation mark that comes in pairs (parentheses, brackets, quotation marks), you must close with the matching mark. You can't mix different types of punctuation to close what you opened.