Question

Select the correct answer

Which of the following sentences uses semicolons correctly?
OA Chris and Molly were delighted to see the whole family gathered in the living room; the group was waiting to congratulate the
couple
OB Chris and Molly loved spending their weekends at the beach during the summer, where they met some of their friends
occasionally
OG Molly wasn't expecting Chris to stay up working so late; she could hear her favorite song playing on the radio.
OD White Chris was preparing Molly's favorite meal; she decided to take out the trash, repair the broken shelf, and water the
plants

Answer 1

A) Chris and Molly were delighted to see the whole family gathered in the living room; the group was waiting to congratulate the couple.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a sentence consists of two or more independent clauses, they need to be properly connected. One of the ways to connect two independent clauses is to use the semicolon. The semicolon is used when the clauses are closely related to each other, usually with one of them explaining the other. This is the case in sentence A.

Sentence B is a complex sentence. It consists of one independent and one subordinate clause connected by a comma. There is no semicolon in this sentence.

Sentence C is the second closest to being correct. What's wrong, though, is that these two clauses aren't closely related to each other.

Sentence D also a complex sentence, and the use of the semicolon here is incorrect, because an independent and subordinate clause can't be connected to each other by a semicolon.