ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos


Punctuation Videos 5 videos

CAHSEE ELA 5.1 Writing: Punctuation
190 Views

CAHSEE ELA Writing: Punctuation Drill 5, Problem 1. Fix this sentence.

CAHSEE ELA 5.3 Writing: Punctuation
190 Views

CAHSEE ELA Writing: Punctuation. Drill 5, Problem 3. How should this sentence be corrected, if at all?

CAHSEE ELA 5.4 Writing: Punctuation
194 Views

CAHSEE ELA Writing Section: Punctuation Drill 5, Problem 4. How should the underlined portion be corrected, if at all?

See All

CAHSEE ELA 5.3 Writing: Punctuation 190 Views


Share It!


Description:

CAHSEE ELA Writing: Punctuation. Drill 5, Problem 3. How should this sentence be corrected, if at all?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here's an unshmoopy question you'll find on the exam...

00:07

What should replace the underlined portion of the below sentence, if anything?

00:12

The president wanted to cut the budget: his advisors didn't think it was a good idea.

00:18

And here are the potential answers:

00:25

Okay, so this question wants to test our colon knowledge.

00:28

It's okay -- no medical expertise necessary. Is the sentence correct as is?

00:36

Nope. The first and second half of the sentence are two separate thoughts.

00:43

If the second part explained why the president wanted to cut the budget...

00:46

...or elaborated on what exactly was cut, then it might be okay.

00:51

But since the sentence switches gears at the midway point, we can eliminate D

00:55

What about the semi-colon in choice A?

00:58

Yeah, looks about right. The semi-colon is perfect for splitting up sentences where both

01:02

halves would make sense on their own.

01:04

Just to check 'em out... B would be wrong because it's a run-on...

01:11

...and C would be wrong because it uses an incorrect coordinating conjunction. In other

01:15

words, "so" makes zero sense here. So our answer is A.

01:18

As in, "Anesthetic."

Related Videos

CAHSEE ELA 1.2 Writing Strategies
411 Views

CAHSEE ELA 1.2 Writing Strategies. Which of the following statements is supported by details or evidence from the student's draft?

CAHSEE ELA 1.3 Writing Strategies
197 Views

CAHSEE ELA 1.3 Writing Strategies. What is the best way to combine sentences 10 and 11?

CAHSEE ELA 1.4 Writing Strategies
192 Views

CAHSEE ELA 1.4 Writing Strategies. Which sentence would provide additional support that fairy tales were not intended to be ideal worlds?

CAHSEE ELA 1.5 Writing Strategies
190 Views

In this CAHSEE test question, figure out how to correct a section of the passage if any corrections are needed. CAHSEE ELA; Writing Strategies Dr...

CAHSEE ELA 2.1 Writing Strategies
190 Views

CAHSEE ELA 2.1 Writing Strategies. What is the most effective substitution for the underlined part of sentence 8?