Punctuating sentences
Friday nights at the diner were always busy, I prefer the activity.
Is this answer correct?
Friday nights at the diner were always busy; I prefer the activity.
Yes, it is correct. Two independent clauses (which you have in this case) must be joined by a semicolon if they are to appear in one sentence.
Here is the revised sentence with the correct punctuation:
Friday nights at the diner were always busy; I prefer the activity.
To determine if the answer is correct, we need to look at the punctuation used in the sentence. In this case, the sentence provided is: "Friday nights at the diner were always busy, I prefer the activity."
Looking at the sentence, we can see that it contains two independent clauses:
- "Friday nights at the diner were always busy."
- "I prefer the activity."
When combining independent clauses in a single sentence, we have various options for punctuating them correctly:
1. Using a comma: "Friday nights at the diner were always busy, and I prefer the activity." This is typically used when the clauses are closely related and have a clear connection.
2. Using a semicolon: "Friday nights at the diner were always busy; I prefer the activity." This option works well when the clauses are more distinct but still connected in meaning.
3. Using a period: "Friday nights at the diner were always busy. I prefer the activity." This is suitable when the clauses are completely separate and not closely related in meaning.
In the provided answer, the correct option was chosen by using a semicolon to join the independent clauses: "Friday nights at the diner were always busy; I prefer the activity." This punctuation choice accurately reflects the relationship between the two clauses, indicating that they are distinct but connected in meaning.