OpenSAT: SAT Question Bank with Endless Possibilities

Question #N1414

The novel follows the story of a young boy named Leo who lives in a small town where the river is the lifeblood of the community. However, when the river begins to dry up, Leo must find a way to save his town and the people he loves.

Which choice best corrects the punctuation error in the sentence?

A. The novel follows the story of a young boy named Leo who lives in a small town, where the river is the lifeblood of the community. However, when the river begins to dry up, Leo must find a way to save his town and the people he loves.

B. The novel follows the story of a young boy named Leo who lives in a small town, where the river is the lifeblood of the community; however, when the river begins to dry up, Leo must find a way to save his town and the people he loves.

C. The novel follows the story of a young boy named Leo who lives in a small town, where the river is the lifeblood of the community. However; when the river begins to dry up, Leo must find a way to save his town and the people he loves.

D. The novel follows the story of a young boy named Leo who lives in a small town where the river is the lifeblood of the community; however, when the river begins to dry up Leo must find a way to save his town and the people he loves.

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Correct Answer is: A

A comma is used to separate two independent clauses, which are clauses that could stand alone as complete sentences. The original sentence is a comma splice because it uses a comma to separate two independent clauses. The correct way to separate two independent clauses is with a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction, such as *and*, *but*, *or*, *so*, *yet*, or *for*. Choice A corrects the comma splice by adding the conjunction *however* after the comma. Choice B is incorrect because it uses a semicolon to separate two independent clauses; a semicolon can only be used to separate independent clauses if the clauses are already grammatically complete with a comma. Choice C is incorrect because the semicolon after *however* is not used correctly. Choice D is incorrect because it combines two independent clauses incorrectly with a semicolon but no coordinating conjunction.