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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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