Question #N484
The following sentence contains an error in punctuation: "Because of the high-pitched sounds that flycatchers produce, they have developed an exceptional sense of hearing."
Which choice corrects the error in the sentence above?
A. Because, of the high-pitched sounds that flycatchers produce they have developed an exceptional sense of hearing.
B. Because of the high-pitched sounds that flycatchers produce, they have developed an exceptional sense of hearing.
C. Because of the high-pitched sounds that flycatchers produce; they have developed an exceptional sense of hearing.
D. Because of the high-pitched sounds that flycatchers produce, they, have developed an exceptional sense of hearing.
Correct Answer is: B
The sentence contains a comma splice. A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined together with only a comma. To correct the sentence, we can either use a semicolon, a period, or a conjunction. Choice B uses a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction, which corrects the comma splice.