Question type
Punctuating "however" and other transitions on the SAT
A transition such as however, though or therefore belongs to one clause. If it begins the second independent clause, use a semicolon before it and a comma after: "; however,". If it ends the first clause, use a comma before it and a semicolon after: ", however;". Commas on both sides only work inside a single clause.
A transition word sits at the blank and the four choices differ only in the punctuation around it. You have to decide where one sentence ends and which side the transition belongs to.
College Board's question bank has 17 of these and rates 16 of them Hard, more than any other Reading and Writing question type.
- 17 in College Board's question bank, 94% rated Hard
- Reading it aloud misleads
Why students miss it
The comma splice. ", however," between two full sentences sounds fine aloud and is wrong: commas cannot join two independent clauses.
The right marks on the wrong side. "; though," moves the transition into the second clause, which changes what is being contrasted.
Dropping the comma: "though;" with no comma before it.
How to spot it
- A blank next to however, though, therefore, for example, in fact, meanwhile.
- Four choices with the same word and different punctuation.
- A semicolon somewhere in the choices.
The method
Two decisions
First find the sentence boundary, then decide which clause the transition belongs to.
- Transition starts the second clause
- "; however, [clause]".
- Transition ends the first clause
- "[clause], however; [clause]".
- Only one clause in the sentence
- commas on both sides: ", however,".
- Which clause?
- the one that makes the contrast the text needs.
Does reading it aloud help?
Every choice sounds the same when read aloud: a pause before the transition and a pause after it.
- Find the two independent clauses: could each stand alone as a sentence?
- Ask which one the transition contrasts with what came before.
- Attach the transition to that clause, with a comma between them, and put the semicolon at the boundary.
This is why College Board rates almost all of these Hard: the ear gives no signal at all.
Two real questions
From the 1500prep bank, the way the app shows them. Answer first, then open the explanation.
Wegener's case for drifting continents rested on extensive fossil and geological evidence; his mechanism was he argued that the continents pushed through the ocean floor, but physicists calculated that the forces he proposed were far too weak to move such enormous landmasses.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show the answer and explanationThe answer: implausible, though;
Because Jupiter's moon Io travels at a constant rate, astronomers expected its eclipses to follow a regular schedule; the observed intervals were eclipses came early when Earth approached Jupiter and late when it receded, a discrepancy Rømer attributed to light's finite speed.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show the answer and explanationThe answer: irregular, however;
Questions students ask
Do you use a semicolon or a comma before however?
A semicolon, when however begins a new independent clause: "The evidence was strong; however, the theory failed." Use commas around it only when it sits inside a single clause.
What does ", though;" mean on the SAT?
The transition ends the first clause, so it takes a comma before it and the semicolon after it marks the boundary between the two clauses.
Why are these questions so hard?
Every option sounds identical when read aloud, so you have to find the clause boundary by structure. College Board rates 16 of its 17 such questions Hard.
Practise this type until it is automatic
Five more transition-punctuation questions, checked instantly, with every wrong choice explained. Free, no card.