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EXAMPLE:
Until the end of the eighteenth century, the only musicians in Norway
-
, were simple, unsophisti-
cated peasants who traveled about.
(The underlined comma is incorrect.)
Do not use commas to set off restrictive or necessary clauses or phrases.
EXAMPLES:
Prizes will be awarded in each event, and the participant
-
, who compiles the greatest overall
total
-
, will receive a special prize.
Since learning of the dangers of caffeine, neither my wife nor I have consumed any beverage
-
,
containing caffeine.
(The underlined commas are incorrect.)
Do not use a comma in place of a conjunction.
EXAMPLE:
After months of separation, Gauguin finally joined Van Gogh in Arles in October of 1888,
Gauguin left a few weeks later.

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Writing Test
19
ARCO
■ SAT II Subject Tests
www.petersons.com/arco
The sentence is incorrect because clauses cannot be spliced together using only a comma. If you
want to join two main clauses, you can use a conjunction (such as and ) plus a comma or semicolon or
even just a semicolon. The sentence above could have been written: “After months of separation, Gauguin
finally joined Van Gogh in Arles in October of 1888, but he left a few weeks later.”
2. Semicolons
One use of the semicolon has already been mentioned: use a semicolon between main clauses linked
by a coordinate conjunction (and, but, etc.) when the main clauses are complex; e.g., when they them-
selves contain commas. (See above.) Another use of semicolons is to separate two main clauses that are
not linked by a coordinate conjunction.
EXAMPLES:
He grew up on a farm in Nebraska; he is now the captain of a Navy ship.
The Smithtown players cheered the referee’s decision; the Stonybrook players booed it.
Notice that in these examples, each clause separated by the semicolon could stand alone as an
independent sentence:
He grew up on a farm in Nebraska. He is now the captain of a Navy ship.
The Smithtown players cheered the referee’s decision. The Stonybrook players booed it.
Unless each clause can function as an independent sentence, it probably is wrong to use a semicolon.
When John entered the room; everyone stood up.
Clem announced that the prize would be donated to Harbus House; a well-known charity.
The semicolons in the examples above are used incorrectly. Notice that the elements separated by
the semicolons cannot stand as independent sentences. These sentences can be corrected by using com-
mas in place of the semicolons.