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What purpose does the semicolon serve in the following sentence?

Leticia has to leave early this afternoon; she has a doctor's appointment.

  1. The semicolon separates the words in a series.
  2. The semicolon joins two related independent clauses.
  3. The semicolon introduces a quotation.
  4. The semicolon summarizes the information that come before it.

Verified Answer :

EyedolGaming
  1. The semicolon separates the words in a series. 
emilyadalex

Answer:

2. The semicolon joins two related independent clauses.

Explanation:

One of the functions of semicolons is to link two independent clauses that are closely related but that are not linked with a conjunction like and, but, or, nor, for, yet, or so. An independent clause is a group of words that have at least a subject and a verb and that express a complete thought on its own, such as the clauses "Leticia has to leave early this afternoon" and "she has a doctor's appointment."

In that sentence, the semicolon is used to join those two independent clauses that are closely related.

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