Question

Which of the following sentences have the CORRECT usage of punctuation?

• A. Italy is famous for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and
• B. Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France, for its chefs and philosophers,
• C. Italy is famous, for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and
• D. Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France for its chefs and philosophers,
• E. Italy is famous for its composers and musicians. France for its chefs and philosophers.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

To identify the sentence with correct punctuation usage, we assess the punctuation rules for sentence structure:

• Semicolon Usage: Use semicolons to separate independent clauses that are closely related. Example: "I have a big test tomorrow; I can't go out tonight."
• Comma Usage: Use commas to separate elements in a series and to separate independent clauses with conjunctions like 'and,' 'but,' 'or,' etc. Also, commas can set off non-essential information or amplify described items in parallel structures.

Let's examine the options:

• Option 1: "Italy is famous for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and" - The pronoun "their" is incorrect for a singular reference to Italy or France. The semicolon is used correctly.
• Option 2 (Correct): "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France, for its chefs and philosophers," - Proper use of comma to weave two related phrases together. The "its" accurately reflects singular nations.
• Option 3: "Italy is famous, for their composers and musicians; France, for their chefs and" - Incorrect comma placement after "famous", and incorrect use of "their".
• Option 4: "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France for its chefs and philosophers," - Lack of second comma after "France" disrupts the parallel structure.
• Option 5: "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians. France for its chefs and philosophers." - Using a period causes a sentence fragment after "musicians."

Considering standard grammatical rules and accurate punctuation, Option 2, "Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France, for its chefs and philosophers," is correctly punctuated delivering a clear and grammatically correct sentence structuring.