ACT Punctuation Review

At the time I established myself in Pennsylvania there was not a good booksellers shop in any of the colonies to the southward of Boston. I

• NO CHANGE

• Pennsylvania; there

• Pennsylvania: there

• Pennsylvania, there

Answer explanation

Introductory phrase - the phrase at the beginning is incomplete, but the phrase that follows is a complete sentence.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.2B

I proposed that we should all of us bring our books to that room, where they would not only be ready to consult in our conferences but also become a common benefit, each of us being at liberty to borrow such as he wished to read at home.

• NO CHANGE

• conferences, but

• conferences; but

• conferences: but

Answer explanation

"but" is not being used as a coordinating conjunction to join to sentences - you can tell because there is not a complete sentence before or after it.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.2A

For one thing, there was not nearly enough interesting characters suspenseful moments or exciting escapes in the game to satisfy him.

• NO CHANGE

• interesting characters suspenseful moments plot twists, or exciting escapes

• interesting characters, suspenseful moments, or exciting escapes

• interesting, characters, suspenseful, moments, or exciting, escapes,

Answer explanation

Items in a series - There is a list of 3 nouns that each have adjectives to describe them.

Tags

CCSS.L.1.2C

CCSS.L.5.2A

CCSS.L.7.2A

Jimmy much to his chagrin never mastered flying the helicopter.

• NO CHANGE

• Jimmy, much to his chagrin never mastered

• Jimmy much to his chagrin, never mastered

• Jimmy, much to his chagrin, never mastered

Answer explanation

Interruption in a sentence - "much to his chagrin" is an interruption in the sentence with extra information, so it needs commas on both sides of it.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.2C

CCSS.L.6.2A

At the time I established myself in Pennsylvania, there was not a good booksellers shop in any of the colonies to the southward of Boston.

• NO CHANGE

• bookseller's shop

• booksellers' shop

• book sellers shop

Answer explanation

Possessive - there is a singular possessive "bookseller" so only an apostrophe + s is needed.

Tags

CCSS.L.2.4D

He would never tell any of them this, of course, they might get offended.

• NO CHANGE

• course; they

• course they

• course: they

Answer explanation

Joining two independent clauses. The semicolon brings these two complete sentences together since they are closely related. There is no coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS), so it must be a semicolon.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.2A

The show is based upon these girl’s lives. It doesn’t always seem to have to do with their children it has to do with them being teenagers.

• NO CHANGE

• girls lives

• girls's

• girls' lives

Answer explanation

Plural possessive - "these" implies there is more than one girl, so it should be a plural possessive with an s+apostrophe.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.2D

CCSS.L.1.1B

CCSS.L.2.2C

The show is based upon these girl’s lives. It doesn’t always seem to have to do with their children it has to do with them being teenagers

• NO CHANGE

• their children, it has to do with them being teenagers

• their children it has to do with them, being teenagers

• their children; it has to do with them being teenagers

Answer explanation

Joining two independent clauses - there is no coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS), so a semicolon can bring these two complete sentences together.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.2A

Because text messaging exists, we can tell many people something very important very quickly.

• NO CHANGE

• messaging, exists we can tell

• exists we can tell

• messaging exists; we can tell

Answer explanation

Introductory phrase - the beginning is not a complete sentence, but after the comma is a complete sentence; therefore, we have an introductory phrase that needs to be followed by a comma. It is correctly punctuated.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.2A

As the image had been a gift from his old schoolmaster; he was concerned at the absence of the item.

• NO CHANGE

• from his old schoolmaster, he was concerned

• from his old schoolmaster; they were concerned

• from his old, schoolmaster, he was concerned

Answer explanation

Introductory phrase

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.2A