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Question

Difficulty: EasyColons, Semicolons, and Dashes

The sentence below is missing a punctuation mark. What punctuation mark should be placed in the blank to correctly join the two independent clauses?

Answer:The novel was written in the nineteenth century【;】 nevertheless, its themes of social justice remain highly relevant to readers today.

Answer

A semicolon (;) is the correct punctuation mark to join the two independent clauses before the conjunctive adverb.
A semicolon is the correct punctuation mark because it is used to connect two independent clauses, especially when the second clause begins with a conjunctive adverb like 'nevertheless'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clauses on either side of the blank.
The clause 'The novel was written in the nineteenth century' and the clause 'nevertheless, its themes of social justice remain highly relevant to readers today' are both independent clauses.
Determining if the clauses are independent is necessary to select the appropriate punctuation.
2
Identify the transition word starting the second clause.
The second clause starts with the transition word (conjunctive adverb) 'nevertheless'.
Transition words dictate specific punctuation requirements when joining independent clauses.
3
Apply the correct punctuation rule for joining independent clauses with a transition word.
A semicolon (;) must be placed before 'nevertheless' to correctly link the two clauses.
A semicolon is required to separate two independent clauses when the second begins with a conjunctive adverb.

Key Concept

Semicolons with conjunctive adverbs
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Topics

Colons, Semicolons, and Dashes

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