The result was an explosion of mural painting that spread throughout California and the southwestern United States in the 1970s. It was the Chicano mural movement

Question

How can we best combine these two sentences?

Answer 1

The best way to combine these two sentences is by using an appositive or a colon to clearly identify the movement described in the first sentence.

To enhance your grasp of this topic, I will outline the most effective techniques for sentence combination, accompanied by insightful explanations.

1. Using a Colon or Dash (Appositive)

Using a colon (:) or a dash (−) is the most elegant and common way to introduce a specific identification or explanation that follows a general statement. This structure places the Chicano mural movement in apposition to the described result.

1. Example 1 (Colon):

The result was an explosion of mural painting that spread throughout California and the southwestern United States in the 1970s: the Chicano mural movement.

1. Example 2 (Dash):

The result was an explosion of mural painting that spread throughout California and the southwestern United States in the 1970s—the Chicano mural movement.

Explanation: In both cases, the clause after the punctuation identifies the phenomenon described before it. This combines the sentences smoothly while giving appropriate emphasis to the name of the movement.

2. Rewriting for Cause/Effect (Clarity)

You can rephrase the sentences to make the Chicano mural movement the subject, emphasizing that it was the cause of the explosion.

1. Example 3 (Simple Rewrite):

The Chicano mural movement resulted in an explosion of mural painting that spread throughout California and the southwestern United States in the 1970s.

Explanation: This option is the most direct and concise, as it eliminates redundant wording like "The result was..." and makes the relationship between the movement and the explosion explicit.

3. Using a Semicolon (Formal Link)

While less common for simple identification, a semicolon (;) can link two closely related independent clauses.

1. Example 4 (Semicolon and Conjunction):

The result was an explosion of mural painting that spread throughout California and the southwestern United States in the 1970s; it was the Chicano mural movement.

Explanation: The semicolon correctly joins the two related clauses. This option is formal and retains the original sentence structure, only changing the punctuation.

Answer 2

The result was an explosion of mural painting that spread throughout California and the southwestern United States in the 1970s, known as the Chicano mural movement.

Answer 3