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Difficulty: MediumRun-on Sentences and Comma Splices

Marine bioacousticians studying humpback whale vocalizations off Maui recently deployed an array of hydrophones to record complex song sequences. By analyzing hours of acoustic data, the researchers discovered that specific rhythmic phrases evolve synchronously across isolated populations, [underlined]however, the exact social mechanism driving this cultural transmission remains unclear.[/underlined]

Which of the following options best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. populations; however, the exact social mechanism driving this cultural transmission remains unclear.Answer
  3. C
    populations; however, because the exact social mechanism driving this cultural transmission remains unclear.
  4. D
    populations, because the exact social mechanism driving this cultural transmission, remains unclear.

Answer

The choice providing a semicolon before 'however' ('populations; however, the exact social mechanism driving this cultural transmission remains unclear.') is correct because it properly separates two independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb.
The correct answer properly uses a semicolon before the conjunctive adverb 'however' and a comma after it to connect two complete independent clauses, resolving the comma splice present in the original sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause structure around the underlined portion.
The clause before 'however' ('...specific rhythmic phrases evolve synchronously across isolated populations') and the clause after 'however' ('the exact social mechanism... remains unclear') are both complete independent clauses capable of standing alone.
Determining whether connected clauses are independent or dependent dictates the proper punctuation required.
2
Evaluate punctuation rules for conjunctive adverbs connecting independent clauses.
When a conjunctive adverb like 'however' connects two independent clauses, it must be preceded by a semicolon (or period) and followed by a comma.
Using only a comma creates a comma splice, while adding a subordinating conjunction after the semicolon creates an incomplete dependent fragment.
3
Select the choice that fixes the error without introducing new grammatical issues.
The option using 'populations; however, the exact...' correctly applies a semicolon before 'however' and a comma after it.
This resolves the comma splice cleanly while preserving proper sentence structure.

Key Concept

Joining Independent Clauses with Conjunctive Adverbs
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Topics

Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices

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