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Difficulty: MediumRun-on Sentences and Comma Splices

A brief passage from an essay on forestry management is shown below.

In the field of restoration ecology, forest managers use controlled burns to clear underbrush and promote new growth. Although this practice mimics natural fire cycles that have sustained ecosystems for millennia, many residents express concern about smoke inhalation. Consequently, local agencies must carefully coordinate burn schedules, they monitor wind patterns to ensure smoke disperses away from populated areas.

For the underlined portion, which option represents the most grammatically correct choice?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    schedules; monitoring
  3. C
    schedules. Because they monitor
  4. schedules; they monitorAnswer

Answer

The correct option replaces the comma with a semicolon to properly separate the two independent clauses: 'schedules; they monitor'.
The correct option correctly uses a semicolon to separate two complete independent clauses. Since both 'Consequently, local agencies must carefully coordinate burn schedules' and 'they monitor wind patterns to ensure smoke disperses away from populated areas' can stand alone as sentences, a semicolon is a grammatically correct way to link them.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the clauses around the underlined portion to determine their grammatical roles.
The first clause ('Consequently, local agencies must carefully coordinate burn schedules') and the second clause ('they monitor wind patterns to ensure smoke disperses away from populated areas') are both independent clauses.
Identifying clause types is necessary because independent clauses must be joined using appropriate punctuation and conjunctions.
2
Evaluate the original phrasing (Option A) for grammatical errors.
The original phrasing attempts to connect two independent clauses with only a comma, resulting in a comma splice.
A comma alone cannot join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
3
Evaluate the remaining options to find the correct correction.
Replacing the comma with a semicolon correctly links the two independent clauses. The options introducing a subordinating conjunction or a participle phrase create fragments.
A semicolon is a standard and correct way to join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Key Concept

Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices

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