Choose the option that will replace the error highlighted in bold.
Catherine said she loved Heathcliff, however, she could not marry him because of his social standing.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
But
Explanation
Meaning: The sentence shows a direct contradiction between Catherine's deep affection for Heathcliff and her practical decision to reject his marriage proposal due to his low social status. To solve this quickly for an exam, identify the grammatical error in the original sentence, which is a run-on sentence caused by a comma splice. The word 'however' is a conjunctive adverb, meaning it cannot be used with just a comma to join two independent clauses. To correct this structure while maintaining the contrasting relationship, you need a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS). 'But' perfectly acts as a coordinating conjunction that establishes a sharp contrast between her feelings and her actions. Evaluating the incorrect options: 'Because' and 'Since' wrongly imply a cause-and-effect relationship for her loving him, and 'And' incorrectly implies a simple addition of facts instead of a contradiction. Therefore, Option 2 is the correct choice.
Key Points
Definition: Correcting structural conjunction errors requires distinguishing between conjunctive adverbs (which require a semicolon or a period) and coordinating conjunctions (which can connect clauses using a comma) to fix a comma splice.
Grammatical Role: Selecting a coordinating conjunction to seamlessly join two independent clauses expressing a contrasting relationship.