Question 168·Hard·Boundaries
Historian Lydia Foy contends that descriptive footnotes are not mere accessories but narrative devices ______ they guide readers through complex arguments without breaking the flow of the prose.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation and boundary questions, first test whether the words before and after the blank are complete sentences (independent clauses). If they are, eliminate any choice that uses only a comma to connect them (comma splice) or that misuses conjunctive adverbs like "however" or "therefore." Then choose the option that correctly uses a semicolon, period, or comma plus coordinating conjunction, remembering the pattern "clause; however, clause" / "clause; therefore, clause" for conjunctive adverbs.
Hints
Check if each side can stand alone
Cover the blank with your finger. Does the part before the blank form a complete sentence by itself? Does the part after the blank also form a complete sentence?
Think about what punctuation can join two sentences
If both sides are complete sentences, ask yourself: is a comma alone enough to connect them, or do you need something stronger like a semicolon or a period?
Notice the role of the word “therefore”
"Therefore" is not a coordinating conjunction like "and" or "but"; it is a different type of connector. What punctuation is normally used around words like "however" or "therefore" when they link two sentences?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the clauses around the blank
Read the full sentence with the blank:
Historian Lydia Foy contends that descriptive footnotes are not mere accessories but narrative devices ______ they guide readers through complex arguments without breaking the flow of the prose.
- Before the blank: "Historian Lydia Foy contends that descriptive footnotes are not mere accessories but narrative devices" — this is a complete sentence (an independent clause).
- After the blank: "they guide readers through complex arguments without breaking the flow of the prose" — this is also a complete sentence (subject "they," verb "guide").
So you are joining two independent clauses.
Decide what kind of link you need
When you connect two independent clauses in one sentence, you cannot use just a comma — that would create a comma splice.
You generally have three correct options:
- Use a period and start a new sentence.
- Use a semicolon.
- Use a comma with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Here, the writer wants to keep one sentence and use the word "therefore" to show cause and effect, so we are looking for correct punctuation with a conjunctive adverb (like "therefore," "however," "thus").
Eliminate comma-splice choices
Look at the answer choices:
- ", therefore"
- "; therefore"
- "; therefore,"
- ", therefore,"
Choices with only a comma before the blank (", therefore" and ", therefore,") would give:
- "...narrative devices, therefore they guide..." or
- "...narrative devices, therefore, they guide..."
In both cases, a comma (even with "therefore" inside commas) is trying to link two independent clauses by itself, which is a comma splice. So those choices must be wrong.
Choose the correct conjunctive-adverb punctuation
That leaves the two semicolon options: "; therefore" and "; therefore,".
When a conjunctive adverb such as "therefore" comes at the start of the second independent clause, the standard pattern is:
independent clause; therefore, independent clause
So we need both a semicolon before "therefore" and a comma after it. Only "; therefore," matches this pattern.
Thus, the correct answer is C) ; therefore,.