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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

During the restoration of the historic library, the preservationists uncovered a valuable, hand-painted mural, it had been hidden behind plaster for over a century.

Which of the following options represents the correct punctuation for the underlined portion?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. valuable, hand-painted mural; itAnswer
  3. C
    valuable, hand-painted mural; which
  4. D
    valuable, hand-painted mural, that

Answer

The correct option is 'valuable, hand-painted mural; it' because it correctly punctuates the coordinate adjectives with a comma and uses a semicolon to connect the two independent clauses.
The correct option correctly places a comma between the coordinate adjectives 'valuable' and 'hand-painted' because they are parallel descriptors of equal weight that independently modify 'mural'. Additionally, the independent clauses 'the preservationists uncovered a valuable, hand-painted mural' and 'it had been hidden behind plaster for over a century' are joined by a semicolon, which is the correct grammatical way to link two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine if the adjectives modifying the noun are coordinate.
The adjectives 'valuable' and 'hand-painted' are coordinate because they can be reversed ('hand-painted, valuable mural') and joined by 'and' ('valuable and hand-painted mural') while retaining their meaning. Therefore, a comma is required between them.
To ensure correct punctuation between adjectives modifying a single noun.
2
Identify the clause boundaries in the sentence.
The sentence contains two independent clauses: 'During the restoration of the historic library, the preservationists uncovered a valuable, hand-painted mural' and 'it had been hidden behind plaster for over a century.'
To determine what punctuation is required to connect the two clauses.
3
Evaluate the punctuation options to connect the independent clauses.
A comma alone creates a comma splice. A semicolon correctly separates two independent clauses. A relative pronoun like 'which' makes the second clause dependent, but a semicolon cannot precede it. A restrictive relative clause starting with 'that' cannot be preceded by a comma.
To choose the option that correctly separates the two clauses without introducing grammatical errors.

Key Concept

Punctuation conventions for coordinate adjectives and independent clause boundaries
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Topics

Commas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

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