16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardColon introducing an appositive list

Standard English Conventions practice question

The expedition carried three things it could not ____ fuel, maps, and a radio.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. replace:Correct
  2. B. replace;
  3. C. replace,
  4. D. replace

Answer: A. replace:

A complete clause followed by the list it announces takes a colon.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. replace;
A semicolon needs a clause after it.
C. replace,
A comma makes the list run into the clause.
D. replace
No boundary before the list.

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