Question #N1353
The team's performance was impressive. They scored five goals, and they were the first team to reach the playoffs this season. Which of the following is the best way to revise the sentence so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
What revision of the sentence is best?
A. The team's performance was impressive, they scored five goals and were the first team to reach the playoffs this season.
B. The team's performance was impressive: they scored five goals, and they were the first team to reach the playoffs this season.
C. The team's performance was impressive; they scored five goals, and were the first team to reach the playoffs this season.
D. The team's performance was impressive, they scored five goals and were the first team to reach the playoffs this season.
Correct Answer is: C
The best way to revise the sentence is to use a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses. This is because the two clauses are closely related in meaning. The semicolon is the correct punctuation mark to join two independent clauses that are closely related.