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Question

Difficulty: EasySemicolons

In the sentence below, a portion of the text is underlined.

Bristlecone pines are among the oldest living organisms on Earth; some of these trees have survived for over 4,000 years in the harsh climates of the American West.

Which of the following options is the correct punctuation for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    Earth, some
  3. C
    Earth; because some
  4. D
    Earth. Since some

Answer

The semicolon is the correct punctuation to join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction, so the original punctuation is correct.
The underlined portion correctly uses a semicolon to join two independent clauses. 'Bristlecone pines are among the oldest living organisms on Earth' and 'some of these trees have survived for over 4,000 years in the harsh climates of the American West' are both complete thoughts that can stand alone as sentences. A semicolon is the proper punctuation to link them without a coordinating conjunction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the two clauses in the sentence.
The first clause is 'Bristlecone pines are among the oldest living organisms on Earth' and the second is 'some of these trees have survived for over 4,000 years in the harsh climates of the American West'.
Determining whether these are independent or dependent clauses dictates what punctuation is required.
2
Determine the grammatical status of both clauses.
Both clauses contain a subject and a verb and express a complete thought, meaning they are both independent clauses.
Independent clauses must be separated by a period, a semicolon, or a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction.
3
Evaluate the punctuation options to connect the two independent clauses.
A semicolon alone correctly joins the two independent clauses. A comma alone is a comma splice, and adding subordinating conjunctions like 'because' or 'since' turns the second clause into a fragment.
Using a semicolon ensures the sentence is grammatically complete and avoids both comma splices and fragments.

Key Concept

Using semicolons to connect independent clauses
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Topics

Semicolons

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