ShmoopTube
Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.
Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos
Commas Videos 16 videos
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 1, Problem 1. Choose the correct punctuation for this sentence.
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 1, Problem 2. How should we format this list?
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 1, Problem 3. Is that comma being used correctly?
ACT English 1.1 Punctuation 655 Views
Share It!
Description:
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 1, Problem 1. Choose the correct punctuation for this sentence.
Transcript
- 00:03
Here's your shmoop du jour, brought to you by Grandmothers. They'll let you do all
- 00:08
the stuff your parents won't, because... what do they care?
- 00:12
My grandmother a true artist decided it was time for me to learn to paint.
- 00:19
And here are the possible answers...
- 00:25
Well, as is, this sentence just sounds weird.
Full Transcript
- 00:29
It's very unlikely that "Grandmother-a-true-artist" is your grandmother's name
- 00:34
Based on the context, the subject of the sentence is actually just... grandma.
- 00:38
That would make "a true artist" an appositive phrase.
- 00:43
An appositive phrase drops in another name, or something that defines the previous subject,
- 00:48
with two well-placed commas surrounding it.
- 00:50
These say, "My grandma doesn't just bake amazing apple pie, she's an artist too."
- 00:57
Well, we know A can't be true, because right
- 00:59
now the sentence doesn't make sense. D is out as well... unless you have a "grandmother
- 01:03
A" to distinguish her from grandmothers B and C...
- 01:07
In option C, there's only one comma, so the appositive phrase isn't appropriately
- 01:12
jailed like we want it to be. We need commas on both sides. We're sticking
- 01:16
to our guns on this one. Now all that's left is B. It works because
- 01:18
the appositive phrase is surrounded by two commas. Just the way we like it.
Related Videos
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 2, Problem 2. Where should the semi-colon be placed?
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 3, Problem 1. How should this sentence be changed so that it is grammatically correct?
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 3, Problem 2. How should we properly hyphenate the words in this sentence?
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 3, Problem 4. Which choice best formats this list of items?
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 2, Problem 1. Which choice of punctuation best completes the sentence?