Correct Placement of Semicolon in Complex Sentences

Question:

Select where to place the missing semicolon in the following sentence:

“He was very devoted to his wife he took care of her every day.”

– Care; of

– Wife; he

– Her; every

– Devoted; to

Answer Description:

In the given sentence, a semicolon is needed to separate the two independent clauses to make the sentence clearer and grammatically correct. The correct placement is between “wife” and “he”:

Correct Answer:

  • Wife; he

Explanation:

The sentence has two independent clauses:

  1. “He was very devoted to his wife”
  2. “He took care of her every day”

These clauses are closely related, and using a semicolon helps to link them while indicating a pause stronger than a comma. The other options do not properly separate the independent clauses or disrupt the flow of the sentence.

Need Help?