ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos


Revision Videos 47 videos

Texas EOC English 2: 4.2 Revision
206 Views

Want to pull an Oliver Twist and ask us for more? We've gotcha covered. Click on this link for more Texas EOC goodness. Porridge not included. 

ACT English 2.5 Passage Drill
194 Views

ACT English: Passage Drill Drill 2, Problem 5. Which of the following is not a logical alternative to Spooked?

PSAT 1.2 Writing Diagnostic
229 Views

PSAT 1.2 Writing Diagnostic. Which choice most effectively establishes the primary topic of paragraph 1?

See All

ACT English 1.2 Organization 298 Views


Share It!


Description:

ACT English: Organization Drill 1, Problem 2. Picking the right transition word.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by the wheels on the bus. Like Congress, they

00:08

just go 'round and 'round.

00:10

What should replace the underlined portion below, if anything?

00:15

Despite being late, I had also forgotten my backpack in the bus.

00:24

"Being late" is not a great thing... and neither is forgetting a backpack; both kinda

00:27

exist in the same slacker world.

00:32

We have to keep this relationship in mind as we try to find the right transition word

00:36

or phrase to connect these ideas.

00:38

Choice (A) sets up the wrong relationship by using "despite." This word usually

00:43

sets up some kind of contrast. "My grandma is cool, despite all the camouflage she wears,"

00:49

would be an example.

00:50

We're not in the market for contrast in this sentence, however, so (A) is off the

00:54

table.

00:55

(B) is incorrect because this sentence stands alone, not as an example.

01:00

Something like this might have worked: "That kid was always slacking. For example, he was

01:05

continually late and always forgot his backpack."

01:08

We're trying to find the word or phrase that shows how these two things go together,

01:13

not how one is an example of the other.

01:19

Choice (C) is an incorrect usage of the transition "furthermore."

01:23

"Furthermore" is what's known as a conjunctive adverb, not a disease, and it's typically used to relate

01:29

two independent clauses to each other.

01:31

Something like, "I was late; furthermore, I had forgotten my backpack," would be on

01:36

the right track.

01:37

The trouble here is that "being late" is not an independent clause, meaning that's

01:42

it not a sentence that can stand on its own.

01:44

Also, "furthermore" comes before the two ideas we're trying to connect, rather than

01:48

in between them.

01:50

(D) wins the day by using the prepositional phrase "in addition to," which correctly

01:55

relates "being late" with the independent clause "I had also forgotten my backpack

02:01

in the bus."

02:02

Hey, at least there are worse times

02:23

to be late.

Related Videos

Where Does the Semicolon Fit Best?
1607 Views

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

ACT English 2.2 Punctuation
2058 Views

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

ACT English 3.1 Punctuation
1059 Views

ACT English: Punctuation Drill 3, Problem 1. How should this sentence be changed so that it is grammatically correct?

ACT English 3.2 Punctuation
962 Views

ACT English: Punctuation Drill 3, Problem 2. How should we properly hyphenate the words in this sentence?

ACT English 3.4 Punctuation
517 Views

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