16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsMediumColon before a quotation used as evidence

Standard English Conventions practice question

The instructions could not be ____ 'Do not open the valve until the gauge reads zero.'

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

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

Answer: A. clearer:

A complete clause introduces the quotation, so a colon follows it.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. clearer,
A comma introduces a quotation only after a speech verb.
C. clearer;
A semicolon would need an independent clause after it.
D. clearer
No punctuation runs the clause into the quotation.

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