an adverbial clause

Hello, Clueless, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange.

Please give us the example or some variation of it. Thanks.

Ok, here's the variation of the sentence. I hope I didn't muddle it too much. I think a comma after "swim" would be too many but what I've learned so far is that an adverbial clause should be used when it begins a sentence. thanks

Although only ten percent of the population of this country knows how to swim; many of its citizens are world-class swimmers including entrepreneur James Levitt, President  Dwight Eisenhower, composer Eric Stevenson, and baseball player Christopher Evans.

@clueless posted:

Ok, here's the variation of the sentence. I hope I didn't muddle it too much. I think a comma after "swim" would be too many but what I've learned so far is that an adverbial clause should be used when it begins a sentence. thanks

Although only ten percent of the population of this country knows how to swim; many of its citizens are world-class swimmers including entrepreneur James Levitt, President  Dwight Eisenhower, composer Eric Stevenson, and baseball player Christopher Evans.

Hello again, Clueless —The semicolon after "swim" is incorrect. You need a comma there instead. You also need a comma after "swimmers," for a grand total of 5 commas. There is no limit to the number of commas a sentence may have, provided the sentence calls structurally for the insertion of each comma.

• Although only ten percent of the population of this country knows how to swim, many of its citizens are world-class swimmers, including entrepreneur James Levitt, President Dwight Eisenhower, composer Eric Stevenson, and baseball player Christopher Evans.