Extract:
Which sentence is written correctly?
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A
Whenever we meet at a party or dance he invariably kisses my hand.
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B
Whenever we meet, at a party, or dance, he invariably kisses my hand.
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C
Whenever we meet at a party or dance, he, invariably, kisses my hand.
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D
Whenever we meet at a party or dance, he invariably kisses my hand.
Sentence “Whenever we meet at a party or dance, he invariably kisses my hand.” is written correctly because it properly places a single comma after the introductory dependent clause without unnecessarily fragmenting the compound object "party or dance."
A) Whenever we meet at a party or dance he invariably kisses my hand.
Missing required comma after the introductory dependent clause "Whenever we meet at a party or dance." Standard grammar mandates comma separation before the independent clause begins.
B) Whenever we meet, at a party, or dance, he invariably kisses my hand.
Excessively fragments the prepositional phrase "at a party or dance" with unnecessary commas. "Party or dance" forms a compound object of the preposition "at" that shouldn't be separated by commas.
C) Whenever we meet at a party or dance, he, invariably, kisses my hand.
Unnecessarily isolates the adverb "invariably" with commas. Single-syllable adverbs like "invariably" typically don't require comma isolation unless creating dramatic emphasis—which would be inappropriate in standard prose.
D) Whenever we meet at a party or dance, he invariably kisses my hand.
Correctly places a single comma after the introductory dependent clause while keeping the compound object "party or dance" intact and the adverb "invariably" unisolated—following standard comma rules without overpunctuation.
Conclusion
Comma usage requires balance: sufficient separation of clause types without fragmenting cohesive phrases or unnecessarily isolating standard adverbs. Only sentence D achieves this balance by placing one required comma after the introductory clause while preserving phrase integrity.