What punctuation mark primarily separates major sentence elements?

• A. Colon
• B. Comma
• C. Semicolon
• D. Period

Answer: (C)

The semicolon is the punctuation mark that primarily separates major sentence elements. It is used to connect closely related independent clauses, allowing writers to present two related ideas in a cohesive way without using a conjunction. For example, in the sentence "I have a big test tomorrow; I can't go out tonight," the semicolon effectively links two independent clauses that are relevant to each other.

Additionally, semicolons can also separate items in a complex list when those items contain internal punctuation, clarifying the structure of the sentence. Its use provides a stronger break than a comma but not as definitive as a period, making it a useful tool for showing the relationship between different parts of a sentence while maintaining the flow of thought.