Glassblowing is an ancient art form that requires immense patience and skill. An artist gathers molten glass on the end of a steel blowpipe, then they blow air through the tube to create a hollow bubble. This delicate process must be done quickly before the glass cools and becomes brittle.
Which of the following options, if substituted for the underlined portion in the passage, makes the sentence grammatically correct?
- Ablowpipe, then they blow
- blowpipe; they blowAnswer
- Cblowpipe; blowing
- Dblowpipe. By blowing
Answer
The correct answer is the option that replaces the comma and the adverb 'then' with a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses: 'blowpipe; they blow'.
The correct option correctly uses a semicolon to separate two independent clauses. Both the clause before the semicolon and the clause after it contain a subject and a verb and can stand alone as complete sentences, making a semicolon the appropriate punctuation mark.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices
Estimated Time:45s