Standard English ConventionsHardColon introducing an independent clause
Standard English Conventions practice question
The archive held one surprise ____ tucked inside a ledger was a letter written by the founder's daughter.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A. surprise: tuckedCorrect
- B. surprise, tucked
- C. surprise tucked
- D. surprise; and tucked
Answer: A. surprise: tucked
'The archive held one surprise' is complete, and what follows explains what that surprise was — itself a complete clause. A colon after a full clause can introduce an explanation, whether it's a list, a phrase, or another full clause.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. surprise, tucked
- Both sides are complete sentences, so a comma alone makes a comma splice. Something stronger is needed at the boundary.
- C. surprise tucked
- Two complete sentences with nothing between them run on. 'surprise tucked inside a ledger' reads as one confused phrase.
- D. surprise; and tucked
- A semicolon already joins the clauses; adding 'and' after it is redundant. One or the other, never both.
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