Question

40. What is the purpose of using a semicolon to correct a comma splice?

a) To create a compound sentence.
b) To indicate a pause in the sentence.
c) To join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
d) To connect a dependent clause with an independent clause.

Answer 1

Answer: C) To join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Explanation: A comma splice is when a comma is used in between two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction (ie and, but, or, etc). It is considered a sentence fragment and can be corrected in several ways; one of which is to replace the comma with a semicolon. This joins the two independent clauses without needing to insert a coordinating conjunction or break the sentence down into two separate sentences.

Answer 2

The purpose of using a semicolon to correct a comma splice is C. to join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction. A comma splice occurs when two complete sentences are incorrectly joined together with just a comma. To fix this error, a semicolon can be used as a stronger punctuation mark to properly connect the two independent clauses. For example: "I went to the store;
I bought some groceries."