ACT English: Punctuation (Drill 2)

Question 1. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (proposal, to reroute the entire river through a man-made channel,)
• B) proposal: to reroute the entire river through a man-made channel,
• C) proposal — to reroute the entire river through a man-made channel — ✓
• D) proposal to reroute the entire river through a man-made channel

Explanation: Choice C is correct. The phrase "to reroute the entire river through a man-made channel" is an emphatic appositive explaining the proposal. Paired dashes set off such an interruptive phrase with greater emphasis than commas, and because the phrase appears in the middle of the sentence, a dash is required on both sides. Choice A uses commas, which are grammatically acceptable for appositives but do not match the emphatic, dramatic tone of a proposal this bold. More importantly, if you begin with a dash you must end with one — mismatched punctuation (as in Choice B) is always wrong. Choice B uses a colon to open and omits a closing mark entirely, which is incorrect. Choice D omits all punctuation, running the appositive directly into the surrounding sentence.

Question 2. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (thunder, kept)
• B) thunder; kept
• C) thunder — kept
• D) thunder kept ✓

Explanation: Choice D is correct. The subject of the sentence is the compound "The steady drumbeat of rainfall against the tin roof and the occasional crack of thunder." No punctuation should separate a compound subject from its verb "kept." Choice A places a comma directly before the verb, incorrectly cutting off the subject from the predicate. Choice B uses a semicolon, which must join two independent clauses — "and the occasional crack of thunder" is not an independent clause. Choice C uses a dash, which would suggest an abrupt interruption or emphasis before the verb, but there is no interruption here; the sentence flows naturally from subject to verb.

Question 3. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (unreliable, consequently, many crews refused)
• B) unreliable; consequently, many crews refused ✓
• C) unreliable: consequently, many crews refused
• D) unreliable consequently, many crews refused

Explanation: Choice B is correct. The sentence contains two independent clauses connected by the conjunctive adverb "consequently." A semicolon must precede a conjunctive adverb that joins two independent clauses, and a comma follows the adverb. Choice A creates a comma splice — a comma alone cannot join two independent clauses even when a conjunctive adverb is present. Choice C uses a colon, which can introduce an explanation, but "consequently" signals a cause-and-effect relationship better suited to a semicolon. Choice D omits all punctuation before "consequently," creating a run-on sentence.

Question 4. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (fieldwork the archaeologists)
• B) fieldwork; the archaeologists
• C) fieldwork, the archaeologists,
• D) fieldwork, the archaeologists ✓

Explanation: Choice D is correct. "Exhausted after three consecutive days of fieldwork" is an introductory participial phrase modifying "the archaeologists." A comma must follow an introductory participial phrase to separate it from the main clause. Choice A has no comma, fusing the introductory phrase directly into the main clause and making the sentence harder to parse. Choice B uses a semicolon, which requires an independent clause on each side — the participial phrase "Exhausted after three consecutive days of fieldwork" cannot stand alone as an independent clause. Choice C adds a comma after both "fieldwork" and "archaeologists," incorrectly separating the subject from its verb.

Question 5. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (share:) ✓
• B) share,
• C) share;
• D) share —

Explanation: Choice A (No Change) is correct. The sentence has a complete independent clause ("There is one quality that all great distance runners share") followed by a noun phrase that defines that quality ("an almost inhuman tolerance for discomfort"). A colon is the correct punctuation to introduce an explanation, definition, or appositive after a complete independent clause. Choice B uses a comma, which is too weak to signal a formal definition — it reads as a list rather than a definitive statement. Choice C uses a semicolon, which must be followed by an independent clause; "an almost inhuman tolerance for discomfort" is a noun phrase, not a clause. Choice D uses an em dash, which could work informally but the colon is the standard and preferred choice when introducing a precise definition.