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Description:

ACT English: Sentence Structure Drill 2, Problem 5. Which punctuation marks best complete the sentence?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by lawyers. So, you might want to check the

00:09

fine print before you sign.

00:11

How should you change the underlined portion below, if at all?

00:14

There is not much difference between entering law school and jumping into a pit of rattlesnakes,

00:21

in fact, you might prefer the snake pit.

00:30

There's definitely more than one snake in this pit.

00:32

The phrase, "in fact," is coiled in the middle of this sentence, evilly plotting to throw

00:39

us off the trail.

00:40

See, "in fact" can sometimes function as a subordinating phrase.

00:45

If it were doing so here, it would turn the independent clause, "you might prefer the

00:50

snake pit" into a dependent one, meaning that the phrase would then not be able to exist

00:55

on its own anymore.

00:56

However, that's not what "in fact" is doing here at all. Besides acting as a subordinating

01:02

phrase, it can also sometimes act as an introductory phrase.

01:06

It does this here by setting the stage for "you might prefer the snake pit."

01:11

Therefore, we know that both of our clauses here are independent, and the comma that attempts

01:16

to connect them in the original sentence is guilty of creating a comma splice.

01:20

Which means we can get rid of choice (A) and move on with our lives.

01:23

Let's see what choice (C) has to offer.

01:26

Well, it does do a good job of connecting our independent clauses with a semicolon.

01:30

However, it messes up by not placing a comma after the introductory phrase, "in fact."

01:35

It's crucial, for clarity's sake, that a comma always follows any introductory phrase.

01:43

We can nix choice (D) pretty easily. While it does remember to put that crucial comma

01:47

after our introductory phrase, "in fact," it tries to connect our two independent clauses

01:52

with a colon.

01:54

Colons can connect independent clauses, but only when the second clause is an explanation.

01:59

Here, the second clause is more of a clarification, really, so the colon doesn't work.

02:04

We've now narrowed it down to choice (B), which comes through with flying colors.

02:08

It remembers that crucial comma after our introductory phrase, and also correctly divides

02:13

our independent clauses with a period.

02:17

For the record, we at Shmoop will take a metaphorical snake pit over a real one any day...

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