Edit the sentence to correct the comma splice: 'What the performers didn't anticipate, was the huge turnout.'

• A. What the performers didn't anticipate was the huge turnout.
• B. What the performers didn't anticipate, was the huge turnout.
• C. What the performers didn't anticipate; was the huge turnout.
• D. What the performers didn't anticipate, the huge turnout.

Answer: (A)

This item tests fixing a comma splice by keeping the subject and its predicate together without an unnecessary pause. In this sentence, the subject is the entire clause What the performers didn't anticipate, and the predicate is was the huge turnout. Since the subject and the predicate form one complete clause, there should be no comma between them. Removing the comma gives What the performers didn't anticipate was the huge turnout, a smooth, natural connection that expresses a single idea.

The other forms misfire: inserting a comma after the subject creates a comma splice by splitting the subject from its verb, which isn’t allowed. Using a semicolon before was would wrongly join two independent clauses, but this first part isn’t independent on its own. Leaving a comma and dropping the verb turns the sentence into a fragment, not a full thought.