Semicolons & Colons
For which two reasons is a colon used in a sentence?
To introduce a list of items or to place an emphasis on an idea!
"Here's what I need: mineral water, crackers, and green jelly beans."
"That's when I saw him: Iggy Pop!"
Where is the appositive information (excessive) that we can trap between two commas in the sentence below?
"Methuselah formed over 14 billion years ago is older than the universe itself!"
formed over 14 billion years ago
"Methuselah, formed over 14 billion years ago, is older than the universe itself!"
In the sentence below, should you use have or has to fill in the blank?
"She ___ been running every morning since November to train for her upcoming marathon."
has
"She has been running every morning since November to train for her upcoming marathon."
We use has when the subject is singular.
Is the following sentence written in active or passive voice?
"The young boy crushed the anthill with little remorse."
Active Voice
In active voice, the subject ("The young boy") comes before the verb ("crushed") and the object ("anthill") is last.
Is the sentence below simple, compound, or complex?
"Actually, I've never been out of the state before, but I'll travel outside of it one day."
Compound sentence
"Actually" is not a complete thought/clause, so we DO NOT consider it part of the sentence.
We do see a ", FANBOY" though, making this a compound sentence.
For what reason is a semicolon used in a sentence?
To combine two independent clauses!
A semicolon replaces a ", FANBOY"
"Today has been good to me; I really can't complain!"
What is the best way to fix the run-on sentence below?
They asked me not to shout in the library I decided to shout even louder.
The best option: ", FANBOY"
They asked me not to shout in the library, but I decided to shout even louder.
The second best option: ;
They asked me not to shout in the library; I decided to shout even louder.
In the sentence below, select the verb that corresponds with its subject:
"One of my sisters (is/are) going on a trip to Paris, France.
is
We are talking about "one" of the sisters. This is a singular subject, so we must pick the singular verb.
Is the following sentence written in active or passive voice?
"The door was opened by the limo driver to let their passengers in."
Passive voice
In passive voice, the object ("The door") comes first and the verb ("opened") comes before the subject ("the limo driver").
Is the sentence below simple, compound, or complex?
"Ben and Matt grabbed a pizza from Marcello's Italian Restaurant, the most popular eatery in town."
Simple sentence.
The sentence is simple because "the most popular eatery in town" is a prepositional phrase and not a clause. You DO NOT consider prepositional phrases part of the sentence when deciding if it is simple, compound, or complex.
In this sentence, between which words should a semicolon be placed?
"As they were running out of air, the deep sea divers returned to the ocean's surface they would have drowned if they stayed in the water any longer."
surface and they
As they were running out of air, the deep sea divers returned to the ocean's surface; they would have drowned if they stayed in the water any longer.
Where is the appositive information (excessive) that we can trap between two commas in the sentence below?
"Delaware the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution is rich in history."
the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution
"Delaware, the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, is rich in history."
In the sentence below, should you use have or has to fill in the blank?
"The cats ___ not eaten yet, and I ___ to buy them more food."
Have
"The cats ___ not eaten yet, and I ___ to buy them more food."
We use have when the subject is plural. We also use have following singular pronouns (I & you).
Rewrite the sentence below in active voice:
"The house was nearly burned down by my friend's careless actions."
"My friend's careless actions nearly burned down the house."
Is the sentence below simple, compound, or complex?
"As Danny walked down the sidewalk, a black cat crossed his path."
Complex sentence
The clause "As Danny walked down the sidewalk" depends on the clause "a black cat crossed his path" to make sense.
In this sentence, between which words should you place a colon?
"The tiny town had a variety of strangely-named stores Patsy Slappy's Joke Emporium, Steel-Toe Joe's, and The Kitty Cat Corner."
stores and Patsy
"The tiny town had a variety of strangely-named stores: Patsy Slappy's Joke Emporium, Steel-Toe Joe's, and The Kitty Cat Corner."
What is the best way to fix the run-on sentence below?
Even though I was feeling especially tired yesterday evening, I went to the movie theater I watched Christopher Nolan's latest movie.
The best option: ", FANBOY"
Even though I was feeling especially tired yesterday evening, I went to the movie theater, and I watched Christopher Nolan's latest movie.
The second best option: ;
Even though I was feeling especially tired yesterday evening, I went to the movie theater; I watched Christopher Nolan's latest movie.
In the sentence below, select the verb that corresponds with its subject:
"Taylor and Brett, who have been friends for seven years, (go/goes) camping every October."
go
We are talking about a plural subject, "Taylor and Brett," so we must select the plural verb.
Rewrite the sentence below in passive voice:
"155 million people voted in the presidential election nearly four years ago."
"The presidential election nearly four years ago was voted on by 155 million people."
Is the sentence below simple, compound, or complex?
"After I left the house, I felt strange—my forehead started to sweat."
Complex sentence
The sentence is complex because the clause "After I left the house" depends on the clause "I felt strange" to make sense.
The dash you see just represents a continuation of the same clause.
In this sentence, between which words should you place a semicolon?
"Being a student is not so easy as a student, I have to do homework for five different classes and find the time for my friends and hobbies."
easy and as
"Being a student is not so easy; as a student, I have to do homework for five different classes and find the time for my friends and hobbies."
Where is the appositive information (excessive) that we can trap between two commas in the sentence below?
"Schlitterbahn Waterpark originally from New Braunfels, Texas has existed in a total of five cities in the United States."
originally from New Braunfels, Texas
"Schlitterbahn Waterpark, originally from New Braunfels, Texas, has has existed in a total of five cities in the United States.
In the sentence below, select the verb that corresponds with its subject:
"Either the players or the coach (plan/plans) the team dinner."
plans
When a sentence contains a compound subject connected by the words or or nor, we use the verb that agrees with the subject closest to the verb.
"The coach" is a singular subject, so we must select the singular verb.
Rewrite the following sentence in active voice.
"My headache could only be cured by a tall glass of water and plenty of rest."
"A tall glass of water and plenty of rest cured my headache."
Is the sentence below simple, compound, or complex?
"Instead of cooking tonight, I'm going to drive to P. Terry's, and I'm going to buy a crispy chicken sandwich."
Compound sentence
The sentence is compound because "Instead of cooking tonight" is a prepositional phrase and not a clause. You DO NOT consider prepositional phrases part of the sentence when deciding if it is simple, compound, or complex.
Additionally, we do see a ", FANBOY" which means this is a compound sentence.