ACT (Enhanced)EnglishMedium
A student is writing an argumentative essay about the impact of social media on mental health. They have written the following sentence: 'Many studies have shown that excessive social media use is linked to increased anxiety and depression; however, the precise mechanisms are still being investigated.' Which of the following is the most appropriate edit to improve the flow and clarity of this sentence?
- AMany studies have shown that excessive social media use is linked to increased anxiety and depression, the precise mechanisms are still being investigated.
- BMany studies have shown that excessive social media use is linked to increased anxiety and depression. However, the precise mechanisms are still being investigated.
- CMany studies have shown that excessive social media use is linked to increased anxiety and depression, but the precise mechanisms are still being investigated.
- DMany studies have shown that excessive social media use is linked to increased anxiety and depression; nevertheless, the precise mechanisms are still being investigated.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Many studies have shown that excessive social media use is linked to increased anxiety and depression. However, the precise mechanisms are still being investigated.
The original sentence correctly uses a semicolon with a conjunctive adverb ('however') to connect two independent clauses. Option B improves flow by separating the two clauses into distinct sentences, with 'However' introducing the second sentence to emphasize the contrast more clearly.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This creates a comma splice, incorrectly joining two independent clauses with only a comma.
- C. While grammatically correct, using 'but' might be considered slightly less formal than 'however' in academic writing and doesn't emphasize the contrast as strongly as starting a new sentence.
- D. Using 'nevertheless' instead of 'however' is grammatically correct but does not significantly improve the flow or clarity over the original, as it still uses a semicolon with a conjunctive adverb.
Conjunctive Adverbs
Conjunctive adverbs (e.g., however, therefore, moreover) connect two independent clauses, showing a relationship between them, and are typically preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma.
- Connect independent clauses.
- Show transition or relationship (contrast, result, addition).
- Punctuation: semicolon before, comma after (when connecting clauses).
Memory trick: Independent clauses need a strong connection or a clear break.