A young girl named Mary was writing a letter to her friend. She wanted to make sure the letter was perfect, so she asked her older sister to proofread it. Her sister found a few errors, including one that Mary had made with the punctuation. Mary had written, “Dear Jane I hope you’re doing well.” What punctuation mark should Mary’s sister suggest she use after the word “Jane” to correct the sentence?
SAT · English · previous-year question
- A.a colon
- B.a semicolon
- C.a commacorrect
- D.a dash
Answer
C. a comma
Explanation
The sentence contains two independent clauses, which must be separated by a comma, a semicolon, or a conjunction. Since the sentence includes a conjunction, a comma would be the most appropriate punctuation mark to use. Therefore, Mary’s sister should suggest she use a comma after the word "Jane."
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