ACT English : Semicolon Errors
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT English
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Improving Sentences
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The new plan had made a small difference; reducing costs and expenditures somehat over the last year.
The new plan had made a small difference; reduce costs and expenditures somehat over the last year.
The new plan had made a small difference; reducing costs and expenditures somehat over the last year.
The new plan made a small difference; for reducing costs and expenditures somehat over the last year.
The new plan had made a small difference reducing costs and expenditures somehat over the last year.
The new plan had made a small difference, reducing costs and expenditures somehat over the last year.
The new plan had made a small difference, reducing costs and expenditures somehat over the last year.
The use of the semicolon in the sentence is incorrect, as a semicolon needs to separate two independent clauses in a compound sentences, instead of separating a dependent clause from the main part of the sentence it is reliant on. The sentence needs to feature a comma separating the two parts, making the correct answer "The new plan had made a small difference, reducing costs and expenditures somehat over the last year."
Example Question #1 : Correcting Punctuation Errors: Other Punctuation
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The scientist conducted her experiment in the tropical forest; instead of in the desert where the lizard population was flourishing.
desert where
No error
forest; instead
the lizard population
was flourishing
forest; instead
A semi-colon, or a colon, is used to connect two complete sentences: here the second sentence is a fragment.
Example Question #4 : Correcting Punctuation Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Leading the Transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson championed individualism; and spoke against slavery.
Leading the Transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson championed individualism, and spoke against slavery.
Leading the Transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson championed individualism and spoke against slavery.
Leading the Transcendentalist movement; Ralph Waldo Emerson championed individualism and spoke against slavery.
Leading the Transcendentalist movement; Ralph Waldo Emerson championed individualism, and spoke against slavery.
Leading the Transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson championed individualism; and spoke against slavery.
Leading the Transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson championed individualism and spoke against slavery.
A semi-colon separates two independent clauses. No punctuation between "individualism" and "and" is necessary.
Example Question #33 : Punctuation Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Pensions are a complicated financial problem for many municipalities; but many cities have made changes to their pension programs in recent years.
Pensions are a complicated financial problem for many municipalities, but many cities have made changes to their pension programs in recent years.
Pensions are a complicated financial problem for many municipalities so many cities have made changes to their pension programs in recent years.
Pensions are a complicated financial problem for many municipalities; and many cities have made changes to their pension programs in recent years.
Pensions are a complicated financial problem for many municipalities; but many cities have made changes to their pension programs in recent years.
Pensions are a complicated financial problem for many municipalities but many cities have made changes to their pension programs in recent years.
Pensions are a complicated financial problem for many municipalities, but many cities have made changes to their pension programs in recent years.
The sentence as written as a complex sentence, and it joins its two parts with a semicolon and the conjunction "but;" however, a compound sentence needs to be joined either by just a semicolon or a conjunction and comma, but not a semicolon and a conjunctionl; therefore the correct answer choice is "Pensions are a complicated financial problem for many municipalities, but many cities have made changes to their pension programs in recent years."
Example Question #3 : Correcting Semicolon Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
He worked at the factory for thirty years; but he never once got a promotion.
He worked at the factory for thirty years; but he never once got a promotion.
He worked at the factory for thirty years; and he never once got a promotion.
He worked at the factory for thirty years he never once got a promotion.
He worked at the factory for thirty years or he never once got a promotion.
He worked at the factory for thirty years, but he never once got a promotion.
He worked at the factory for thirty years, but he never once got a promotion.
The sentence is written as a compound sentence, one that joins two independent clauses together to show their relationship. A compound sentence can only be joined by either a semicolon or a comma followed by a conjunction, but never a semicolon and a conjunction as in the sentence above. Therefore, the correct answer choice is "He worked at the factory for thirty years, but he never once got a promotion."
Example Question #11 : Correcting Semicolon Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
In the end it became clear, that Jennifer had never liked camping; she only went along on the trips to placate her friends.
In the end, it became clear that Jennifer had never liked camping; she only went along on the trips to placate her friends.
In the end, it became clear that Jennifer had never liked camping, she only went along on the trips to placate her friends.
In the end it became clear that Jennifer had never liked camping; she only went along on the trips to placate her friends.
In the end it became clear that Jennifer had never liked camping, she only went along on the trips to placate her friends.
In the end it became clear, that Jennifer had never liked camping; she only went along on the trips to placate her friends.
In the end, it became clear that Jennifer had never liked camping; she only went along on the trips to placate her friends.
Here, “In the end” is an introductory phrase, so it must be followed by a comma. Because “In the end, it became clear that Jennifer had never liked camping” and “she only went along on the trips to placate her friends” are both independent clauses (in other words, they can stand as complete sentences on their own), they must be separated by a semicolon. Using a comma between the two independent clauses would result in a comma splice, which is grammatically incorrect.
Example Question #32 : Semicolon Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
You’ve never been a fan of roses, which are many people’s favorite flowers, the flowers seem too fancy for your simple tastes.
You’ve never been a fan of roses which are many people’s favorite flowers; the flowers seem too fancy for your simple tastes.
You’ve never been a fan of roses which are many people’s favorite flowers, the flowers seem too fancy for your simple tastes.
You’ve never been a fan of roses, which are many people’s favorite flowers, the flowers seem too fancy for your simple tastes.
You’ve never been a fan of roses, which are many people’s favorite flowers; the flowers seem too fancy for your simple tastes.
You’ve never been a fan of roses, which are many people’s favorite flowers; the flowers seem too fancy, for your simple tastes.
You’ve never been a fan of roses, which are many people’s favorite flowers; the flowers seem too fancy for your simple tastes.
There are two independent clauses in this sentence—“You’ve never been a fan of roses, which are many people’s favorite flowers” and “the flowers seem too fancy for your simple tastes." They must be separated by a semicolon. Using a comma between the two independent clauses would result in a comma splice, which is a grammatical error.
The words “which are many people’s favorite” are a relative clause that modify “roses,” and since that clause can be removed and still leave a complete sentence (it’s non-essential information, in other words), it must be set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
Example Question #11 : Improving Sentences
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Carrie and her cat, Mittens; were having a relaxing afternoon, Mittens was basking in a sunbeam near Carrie's feet.
Carrie and her cat; Mittens, were having a relaxing afternoon. Mittens was basking in a sunbeam near Carrie's feet.
Carrie and her cat, Mittens; were having a relaxing afternoon, Mittens was basking in a sunbeam near Carrie's feet.
Carrie and her cat, Mittens, were having a relaxing afternoon. Mittens was basking; in a sunbeam near Carrie's feet.
Carrie and her cat, Mittens, were having a relaxing afternoon. Mittens was basking in a sunbeam; near Carrie's feet.
Carrie and her cat, Mittens, were having a relaxing afternoon; Mittens was basking in a sunbeam near Carrie's feet.
Carrie and her cat, Mittens, were having a relaxing afternoon; Mittens was basking in a sunbeam near Carrie's feet.
The correct use of a semicolon is connecting two related independent clauses. If a part of a sentence can't stand alone as a sentence, it can't be connected to another part of the sentence with a semicolon. In this case, the correct form is "Carrie and her cat, Mittens, were having a relaxing afternoon; Mittens was basking in a sunbeam near Carrie's feet," which connects the two related sentences with a semicolon.
Example Question #41 : Punctuation Errors
The French philosopher Rene Descartes once went out to dinner at a French restaurant because (1) after all (2) where else would he go to eat? On that occasion (3) he ordered the escargot en beurre, the chicken liver paté, the gratineed scallops (4) and the blanquette de veau. Then he proceeded to order another portion of each dish. The waitress was appeased (5). She had never seen anyone order so much food in one sitting it (6) made her slightly ill to watch him eat it all. What made it worse he had no table manner at all since (7) philosophers tend to be thinking about life and death and (8) not about using a napkin. Finally (9) as he sipped the last of his burgundy (10) Descartes made a motion for the check. The waitress asked (11) "Would you care for any desert, monsieur?" At that point, Descartes replied, "I think not" (12) and promptly vanished.
Choose from the following four options the answer that best corrects the underlined mistake preceding the question number. If there is no mistake or the original text is the best option, choose "NO CHANGE."
NO CHANGE
sitting; it
sitting: it
sitting, it
sitting; it
Since there are two complete sentences not joined by a conjunction but which still are related to one another in meaning, the semicolon would be most appropriate here; the colon would only be used if the sentence that followed illustrated the statement in the first sentence, which it does not.
Example Question #13 : Correcting Semicolon Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
The entire party worked to get the candidate elected; but the election still went against him.
The entire party worked to get the candidate elected but the election still went against him.
The entire party worked to get the candidate elected, but the election still went against him.
The entire party worked to get the candidate elected; so the election still went against him.
The entire party worked to get the candidate elected; and the election still went against him.
The entire party worked to get the candidate elected; but the election still went against him.
The entire party worked to get the candidate elected, but the election still went against him.
The sentence is written as a compound sentence, one that joins two independent clauses together in order to show their relationship. A compound sentence can only be joined by either a semicolon or a comma followed by a conjunction, but not a semicolon and a conjunction, as in this sentence as it is written. The only answer choice that correctly joins the two clauses is "The entire party worked to get the candidate elected, but the election still went against him."
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