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Punctuation Videos 27 videos

Where Does the Semicolon Fit Best?
1621 Views

ACT English: Punctuation Drill 2, Problem 3. Where does the semicolon fit best?

ACT English 3.4 Punctuation
522 Views

ACT English: Punctuation Drill 3, Problem 4. Which choice best formats this list of items?

Place the Semi-Colon!
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ACT English: Punctuation Drill 2, Problem 5. Which choice indicates the best place for a semi-colon in the sentence?

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ACT English 2.2 Punctuation 2070 Views


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Description:

ACT English: Punctuation Drill 2, Problem 2. Where should the semi-colon be placed?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here's your shmoop du jour, brought to you by picnics. The preferred dining venue of

00:08

4 out of 5 litterers.

00:11

It rained heavily; during the afternoon we managed to have our picnic anyway.

00:26

Honestly, a picnic in the rain doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

00:30

It's a little known fact that

00:31

turkey sandwiches taste best drenched in rainwater.

00:34

Anyway, this sentence has some issues. That semicolon is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

00:39

So, where SHOULD it go? Remember the purpose of semicolons? They separate two clauses like

00:44

a period, only they indicate a closer relationship than a period would.

00:48

These are the three places in the sentence the semicolon could be placed.

00:52

Picture it like you would a period, and read the sentence with that pause. Go ahead, pause

00:56

the video for a sec and read them out loud.

01:03

As it stands, option 2 seems to be the best.

01:06

"It rained heavily during the afternoon" and "We managed to have our picnic anyway" are

01:12

both independent clauses, so the semicolon goes between the two.

01:15

But what about the original sentence? Well, if the semicolon goes here, both sentences

01:20

should be able to stand alone.

01:22

But this would require a comma after "afternoon," so that the dependent clause "during the afternoon"

01:29

is properly attached to the independent clause afterwards.

01:32

However, there's not a comma there, so the second part of that option is grammatically

01:35

incorrect. Now we're left with C and D, which both use

01:39

the semicolon in the correct spot. The only difference is the comma after managed.

01:45

Is that really necessary? Nope! The sentence sounded fine without it, and it's actually

01:49

grammatically incorrect if you add it. We're left with C. It uses the semicolon to

01:54

split up the clauses, and doesn't misuse a comma like D did.

01:57

Now we can get back to our soggy sandwiches and diluted lemonade. Yummers.

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