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Difficulty: MediumSemicolons

In the late afternoon, thousands of starlings gather in the sky to perform complex aerial maneuvers known as murmurations. These synchronized flocks shape-shift fluidly without any single leader directing the group; each bird simply responds to the movements of its closest neighbors.

Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion is grammatically correct?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    group, each bird simply responds
  3. C
    group; because each bird simply responds
  4. D
    group; and each bird simply responds

Answer

The original phrasing, which uses a semicolon to connect the two independent clauses, is correct.
The underlined portion correctly uses a semicolon to join two closely related independent clauses ('These synchronized flocks shape-shift fluidly without any single leader directing the group' and 'each bird simply responds to the movements of its closest neighbors') without a coordinating conjunction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine if the clauses before and after the underlined portion are independent or dependent.
Both 'These synchronized flocks shape-shift fluidly without any single leader directing the group' and 'each bird simply responds to the movements of its closest neighbors' can stand alone as complete sentences, meaning they are both independent clauses.
Identifying the clause types is necessary to choose the correct punctuation to join them.
2
Evaluate the grammar of each punctuation option for joining two independent clauses.
A semicolon alone is a valid way to join two independent clauses. A comma alone creates a comma splice. A semicolon followed by 'because' creates an incomplete dependent clause (fragment). A semicolon followed by 'and' is redundant and grammatically incorrect.
This process of elimination helps identify the correct grammatical structure.

Key Concept

Using a semicolon to connect two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Semicolons

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