SAT Boundaries study notes

Punctuation starts with grammar, not sound. Find the subject and verb on each side of the blank. If both sides could stand alone as sentences, a comma by itself will not join them. A period, semicolon, or comma plus a coordinating conjunction can.

Worked example

‘The first survey included nearby residents ____ however, it missed commuters.’ What belongs before ‘however’?

A semicolon: ‘residents; however, it missed commuters.’ Both sides are independent clauses, and ‘however’ needs a comma after it.

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