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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?
ACT English: Punctuation Drill 2, Problem 2. Where should the semi-colon be placed?
ACT English 2.1 Sentence Structure 314 Views
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Description:
ACT English: Sentence Structure Drill 2, Problem 1. Which choice best punctuates this sentence?
Transcript
- 00:03
Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by detectives. Along with young boys who have
- 00:08
a penchant for frying ants, they are some of the foremost buyers of magnifying glasses.
- 00:14
How should you change the highlighted portion below, if at all?
- 00:17
They weren't dangerous criminals they were detectives in disguise.
- 00:27
This sentence has a bad case of the runs.
Full Transcript
- 00:30
Er, run-ons.
- 00:31
Because we have two independent clauses here that aren't connected by any punctuation,
- 00:35
the sentence is what's known as a run-on or fused sentence.
- 00:40
Notice how the clauses, "they weren't dangerous criminals," and "they were detectives in disguise,"
- 00:46
both have their own subjects and predicates, making them both complete sentences that could
- 00:50
exist independently from each other.
- 00:52
If we want to put them in the same sentence, we have to use some kind of punctuation. So
- 00:56
we know for sure that choice (A) is leading us to Run-on Central.
- 01:00
Choice (D) tries to solve the problem by sticking in a dash toward the end of the sentence.
- 01:04
The dash does a great job of highlighting the fact that the detectives are in disguise,
- 01:08
but it does a terrible job of fixing our run-on problem.
- 01:11
We're looking for the answer that places the punctuation directly between our two independent
- 01:16
clauses.
- 01:17
Choice (B) tries a semicolon on for size.
- 01:19
This isn't a totally bad idea; semicolons are indeed used to connect independent clauses.
- 01:24
However, (B) makes the same mistake as choice (D) by placing the semicolon in the wrong
- 01:29
place.
- 01:30
Choice (C) puts the semicolon right where it needs to be, connecting our independent
- 01:34
clauses and solving our case of the run-ons.
- 01:37
So remember friends, when you're in a pinch, try semicolons for fast acting run-on relief!
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ACT English: Punctuation Drill 2, Problem 1. Which choice of punctuation best completes the sentence?