Question #N1074

While driving across the country, a group of friends are discussing the best way to keep a car clean. One friend suggests using a specialized car wash that has several different options for cleaning the vehicle. Another friend suggests that they can do the car wash themselves at home with a bucket of water and some cleaning supplies.

Which of the following revisions to the underlined portion would create the most grammatically correct and effective sentence?
A. a bucket of water, and some cleaning supplies.
B. a bucket of water and some cleaning supplies.
C. a bucket of water, and some cleaning supplies,
D. a bucket of water and some cleaning supplies;

Correct Answer is: B

The sentence uses a comma plus a coordinating conjunction to link two independent clauses. This is a correct way to link two independent clauses. Choice A is incorrect because it creates a comma splice. Choice C is incorrect because it uses a comma plus a coordinating conjunction, but it is missing the comma beforehand. Choice D is incorrect because it uses a semicolon to link two independent clauses. Semicolons are conventionally used to separate two main clauses or to separate items in a complex series. This choice doesn’t use any punctuation between the two clauses.