Take Test: Grammar Quiz: Joining Clauses with Semicolons ✓ Solved

1. Correct the sentence fragment by eliminating the subordinating conjunction. Write the corrected sentence in the box provided. Because the stock market crashed.

2. Correct the sentence fragment by adding an independent clause. Write the ENTIRE sentence in the box provided. After the stock market crashed, . . .

3. Combine the two clauses into a single sentence using SUBORDINATION. Remember to use a comma if necessary. Bonnie and Clyde blasted their way out of the bank and through the police blockade. They barrelled down the highway across the border.

4. Join the two clauses using COORDINATION. In Mexico, the lovers were safe. They missed the excitement of their high-crime lifestyle.

5. Join the clauses using a semicolon. The couple returned to the United States the following spring. They were dead before the year was out.

6. Join the clauses with a conjunctive adverb along with a semicolon. You can put the conjunctive adverb wherever you like, but remember that where you put the conjunctive adverb determines the number of commas you need. Today, Bonnie and Clyde are remembered as romantic figures, striving for love and freedom. They are also remembered as America's first homegrown terrorists, willing to kill for personal pleasure.

7. Write a sentence that combines two independent clauses using a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb. Remember to use commas appropriately, depending on where you place the conjunctive adverb.

Paper For Above Instructions

1. Corrected Sentence Fragment: The stock market crashed.

In the original fragment, "Because the stock market crashed," the subordinating conjunction "Because" creates a dependency that renders the clause incomplete. To correct this fragment, we simply use the independent clause: "The stock market crashed." It stands alone as a complete thought and conveys the essential information about the event.

2. Complete Sentence: After the stock market crashed, many investors lost their savings.

In addressing this sentence fragment, "After the stock market crashed," we will add an independent clause to create a complete sentence. By appending "many investors lost their savings," we provide context and detail regarding the consequences of the event, thereby transforming the fragment into a comprehensive statement.

3. Combined Sentence Using Subordination: After Bonnie and Clyde blasted their way out of the bank and through the police blockade, they barrelled down the highway across the border.

Here, we combine the two clauses using subordination. The first clause is placed before the second clause, establishing the sequence of events and initiating the sentence with a dependent introductory phrase, which is appropriately followed by a comma. This construction adds clarity and flow to the narrative.

4. Combined Sentence Using Coordination: In Mexico, the lovers were safe, but they missed the excitement of their high-crime lifestyle.

This sentence demonstrates coordination, where we link two independent clauses: "The lovers were safe" and "they missed the excitement of their high-crime lifestyle." The conjunction "but" effectively emphasizes the contrast between their current safety and their longing for their past adventures.

5. Joined Clauses Using a Semicolon: The couple returned to the United States the following spring; they were dead before the year was out.

Using a semicolon to join these two independent clauses is appropriate here, as both clauses are closely related in context. Each clause could stand alone, yet the semicolon demonstrates their connection, allowing for a compact and effective expression of the events.

6. Joined Clauses with a Conjunctive Adverb: Today, Bonnie and Clyde are remembered as romantic figures, striving for love and freedom; however, they are also remembered as America's first homegrown terrorists, willing to kill for personal pleasure.

In this construction, "however" serves as a conjunctive adverb linking the two independent clauses. The placement of the conjunctive adverb after the semicolon necessitates the inclusion of the comma before it, thus adhering to the rules of punctuation while effectively communicating the duality of Bonnie and Clyde's legacy.

7. Combined Sentence with Semicolon and a Conjunctive Adverb: Bonnie and Clyde were infamous criminals; consequently, their lives and actions have been romanticized in popular culture.

This sentence combines two independent clauses, demonstrating how to correctly use a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb. The word "consequently" indicates a cause-effect relationship, complying with the requirement for proper punctuation regarding the use of conjunctions.

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