Correcting Punctuation Errors - GMAT Verbal

The sentence is correctly punctuated. The semicolon separates two independent clauses in the absence of a conjunction.

In this example, the semicolon is used to separate the items. When listing items in a series that already utilizes internal punctuation, such as the comma's between the city and its respective country, use a semicolon to separate each item.

If introductory words like "for example," or "such as" follow a complete sentence/independent clause, you can use either a comma or semicolon to separate the remainder of the sentence. Also, comma's should always be placed after introductory word/phrases.

This sentence is a simple sentence and is not in need of any punctuation. Semicolons are used in order to separate two related independent clauses when no conjunction is present. This is not the case in this sentence, however. The correct choice is to omit all punctuation. The answer is, "English language have more than one meaning."

This sentence misuses the semicolon. The sentence joins two related clauses to one another, but the second clause is a dependent one, and semicolons are never used to join a dependent clause to an independent one: they only join two independent clauses. The appropriate punctuation is a colon, since the second clause explains exactly which park Monique frequents. Note that a colon cannot appear after the word "specifically" because it is a part of the second clause and would therefore be out of place. The correct choice is, "her dog in the park: specifically, the one right around the corner."

This sentence misuses the semicolon. Semicolons are used to join two related independent clauses, but the phrase "which she would use for business" is a dependent clause. In fact, no punctuation is necessary as this sentence is simple. "Tiffany bought a new phone which she would use for business" is the correct choice.

This sentence misuses a semicolon. Semicolons are used to combine two related independent clauses without the use of a conjunction. The phrase "a golden retriever," however, is a parenthetical expression: a phrase that explains more about a particular word or phrase in the sentence, but is not introduced by a relative pronoun. These phrases must be introduced and completed with a comma in order to separate them from the main clause of the sentence. The correct choice is, "Kim's dog, a golden retriever, appears."

This sentence contains a semicolon where a comma is needed. Semicolons are used to join two independent clauses without a conjunction. The phrase "On the way to the town" is not only a dependent clause, but an example of an introductory phrase, explaining information necessary to the context of the sentence, but outside of the main sentence, grammatically. These types of phrases must be followed by a comma in order to separate them from the rest of the sentence. The correct choice is, "On the way to the town, the merchant bought."

This sentence misuses a semicolon. Semicolons are used to join two related independent clauses. The phrase "a Ford Mustang Convertible" is not an independent clause, however. A colon is the appropriate punctuation here, since "a Ford Mustang Convertible" explains exactly what kind car "she" wanted. Colons join two clauses when the second explains something about the first clause. The correct choice is, "the car she always wanted: a Ford Mustang Convertible."

This sentence does not contain a semicolon where necessary. The words "months" and "she" represent the end of one independent clause and the beginning of another. In order to join two related independent clauses without a conjunction, a semicolon should be used. Note that a colon would not be appropriate because, while related, the second clause does not explain anything about/in the first clause. The correct choice is, "a few months; she planned to."

This sentence does not contain a semicolon where necessary. The sentence combines two related independent clauses without the use of a conjunction, so a semicolon should appear in this place (after the word "road"). No other changes are necessary. The correct choice is, "they drove down the road; they also sung along at the top of their lungs"

The conjunction between these two clauses works in parallel. The second part goes into further detail about the preceding statement. Since they are parallel statements, the punctuation needed between them is a semicolon. Separating the statements into two sentences, but that would hint at separate topics and be choppy. Therefore, the best version is the semicolon connector.

We need a punctuation that joins the two independent clauses in this sentence. In this case, the best option is the semicolon because each clause is a complete sentence in itself. Therefore, we can just use a semicolon to not impede the thought of passage. A comma and an appropriate coordinating conjunction ("like" and or "so") would have also been a correct option, but was not provided with the given answers. Coordinating conjunctions (like "so) cannot, however, follow semicolons when joining two independent clauses into one complex sentence.

The correct answer joins two independent clauses with a semi-colon, not a comma. The sentences in which the semi-colon attempts to join an independent clause and a dependent clause or some kind of modifier are incorrect. Some of the incorrect answers also show errors in parallelism.

This sentence misuses the comma. The sentence combines two related independent clauses without the use of a conjunction. In these cases, a semicolon should be used instead. Note that a colon would be inappropriate here as "they planned to celebrate afterwards" does not explain how or why they are winning the game or even why they are playing the game. The correct choice is, " the game; they planned to celebrate afterwards."

This sentence does not contain a semicolon where one is necessary. This sentence combines two related independent clauses without the use of a conjunction. When this occurs, a semicolon should appear between them. A semicolon should appear after the word "sun." The correct choice is, "because of its orbit around the sun; each region's exposure to the sun's rays determines."

This sentence combines two related independent clauses without the use of a conjunction. When this occurs, a semicolon should be placed between the clauses. A semicolon should appear after the word "individual." The correct choice is, "creative individual; he dabbled in every area of art."

This sentence does not contain a semicolon where necessary. The sentence joins two related independent clauses without the use of a conjunction. When this occurs, the clauses should be separated by a semicolon, which, in this instance, should appear after the word "eat." The correct choice is, " into the city, he stopped to eat; he would not have free time."

This sentence does not contain an apostrophe where it is needed. The word "wife" is being used in a possessive manner, instead of being plural. The correct form is " wife's," making the correct choice: "The wife's suggestions caused her husband."