I am looking for the correct sentence use of the Semicolon

20a. The Bears lost the Super Bowl to Indianapolis; worse yet, I lost a bet with my brother about the outcome of the game.
20b. The Bears lost the Super Bowl to Indianapolis; worse yet; I lost a bet with my brother about the outcome of the game.
I say the answer is B because worse yet is considered a transition word.

No, the correct sentence is a.

Semicolons are used to separate EQUAL things, primarily independent clauses. The words "worse yet" are simply transitional, as you said, but they do not make up a complete independent clause.

Semicolons: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/semicolon.htm

Commas: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm See #3

Scroll almost all the way down and read about conjunctive adverbs: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/adverbs.htm

Thank you very much! I have always not been good at English.

Ok DO you mind checking if I got these correct.

a. I just bought CDs by Regina Spektor, John Legend, and Prince.

b. I just bought: CDs by Regina Spektor, John Legend, and Prince.

I picked B becaus d suffices fine for this.

a. Students, who study hard, should do well on the test.
b. Students who study hard should do well on the test.

I picked B because it didn't need any correction

a. After sliding into second base 24a. Alex realized the outfielder had dropped the ball.

b. After sliding into second base, Alex realized the outfielder had dropped the ball.

I picked B because the after makes a better sentence.

a. Bob enjoys playing football, and Jim enjoys playing hockey.

b. Bob enjoys playing football and Jim enjoys playing hockey.

I picked B because they are saying pretty much the same thing.

Good observation! Your answer is correct. The correct sentence use of the semicolon in this case is 20a. "The Bears lost the Super Bowl to Indianapolis; worse yet, I lost a bet with my brother about the outcome of the game."

Semicolons are used to separate two closely related independent clauses (complete sentences) that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction (such as "and," "but," or "or"). In this case, the two independent clauses are "The Bears lost the Super Bowl to Indianapolis" and "worse yet, I lost a bet with my brother about the outcome of the game."

The semicolon is used to connect these two related thoughts in one sentence without the need for a coordinating conjunction. The word "worse yet" acts as a transitional phrase to smoothly link the two ideas.

In sentence 20b, the second semicolon is incorrect. When connecting two independent clauses with a semicolon, only one semicolon should be used. Using two semicolons consecutively is not grammatically correct.

Therefore, the correct sentence use of the semicolon is 20a.