The young poet, whose work was inspired by the natural world, often wrote about the beauty of the trees, the sound of the wind, and the feel of the sun on his skin. The poet's poems were known for their vivid imagery and emotional depth.
Which choice provides the best punctuation for the sentence?
A. The young poet, whose work was inspired by the natural world, often wrote about the beauty of the trees, the sound of the wind, and the feel of the sun on his skin: the poet's poems were known for their vivid imagery and emotional depth.
B. The young poet, whose work was inspired by the natural world, often wrote about the beauty of the trees, the sound of the wind, and the feel of the sun on his skin, the poet's poems were known for their vivid imagery and emotional depth.
C. The young poet, whose work was inspired by the natural world, often wrote about the beauty of the trees, the sound of the wind, and the feel of the sun on his skin; the poet's poems were known for their vivid imagery and emotional depth.
D. The young poet, whose work was inspired by the natural world, often wrote about the beauty of the trees, the sound of the wind, and the feel of the sun on his skin the poet's poems were known for their vivid imagery and emotional depth.
The sentence is a compound sentence that should be joined with a semicolon. The semicolon is used to separate two independent clauses when the clauses are closely related in thought. Choice A is incorrect because a colon is used to introduce a list or explanation, not to separate two independent clauses. Choice B is incorrect because a comma is used to separate items in a series, not to separate two independent clauses. Choice D is incorrect because there is no punctuation between the two independent clauses, which results in a run-on sentence.