If there are two independent clauses in a sentance, but one of the already has a comma, then should there be a semicolon before the conjunction?
I just got a paper back from my english teacher and this sentance is one he corected:
"Though some people believe that the death penalty is a valid punishment for those who commit the most serious crimes such as murder, the death penalty is inhumane, and no human being deserves to have their life taken away from them as punishment for a crime."
The teacher said that there should be a semicolon after "inhumane" instead of a comma becuase there is a comma after "murder."
Does his explanation make any sense?
Because I have never heard of this rule before.
I thought there is either supposed to be a comma and a conjunction, or a semicolon, but I have never heard of having a semicolon and a conjunction together.
If there are two independent clauses in a sentance, but one of the already has a comma, then should there be a semicolon before the conjunction?
I just got a paper back from my english teacher and this sentance is one he corected:
"Though some people believe that the death penalty is a valid punishment for those who commit the most serious crimes such as murder, the death penalty is inhumane, and no human being deserves to have their life taken away from them as punishment for a crime."
The teacher said that there should be a semicolon after "inhumane" instead of a comma becuase there is a comma after "murder."
Does his explanation make any sense?
Because I have never heard of this rule before.
I thought there is either supposed to be a comma and a conjunction, or a semicolon, but I have never heard of having a semicolon and a conjunction together.
If you change that comma after "inhumane" to a semicolon, you should delete the word "and." The sentence will read more smoothly if you do this, but I haven't heard of such a rule either.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm
See section 2.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/semicolon.htm
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/grammar.html
Go into Punctuation and find the sections on commas and semicolons.
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/semicolon.htm
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/index.html
Scroll down for the Punctuation section.
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As your teacher for a citation of the rule.
thank you very much!
I'm a senior in high school and I'm in an English V class. I'm going to go talk to my teacher about this tomorrow!
1 answer