Generations of mystery and horror ______ have been inﬂuenced by the dark, gothic stories of celebrated American author
Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849).
writers
writers,
writers—
writers;
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a subject and a verb. When, as in this case,
a subject (“Generations of mystery and horror writers”) is immediately followed by a verb (“have been inﬂuenced”), no
punctuation is needed.
Choice B is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the subject and the verb. Choice C is incorrect because no
punctuation is needed between the subject and the verb. Choice D is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between
the subject and the verb.