PSAT/NMSQT Prep 2022 - Eggert M.D., Strelka A. 2022

Sentence structure: commas, dashes, and colons
Spotting and fixing errors: sentence structure, punctuation, and agreement
PSAT Reading

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After this lesson, you will be able to:

· Identify and correct inappropriate uses of commas, dashes, and colons

· Use punctuation to set off simple parenthetical elements

To answer a question like this:

San Francisco’s famous cable cars are not powered and don’t generate any locomotion. Instead, each car has a powerful claw under its floor. The claw grips the cable when the car is ready to 7 move, and releases the cable when the car needs to stop. The cars simply cling to the cable, which pulls them up and down San Francisco’s steep hills.

7.

A. NO CHANGE

B.move and releases

C.move; and releases

D. move—and releases

You need to know this:

Answer choices often move punctuation marks around, replace them with other punctuation marks, or remove them altogether. When underlined portions include commas, dashes, or colons, check to make sure the punctuation is used correctly in context.

Commas

There are two ways in which commas are not interchangeable with any other punctuation: a series of items and introductory words or phrases.

Commas and Dashes

In many cases, either a comma or a dash may be used to punctuate a sentence.

Colons and Dashes

Colons and dashes are used to include new ideas by introducing or explaining something, or by breaking the flow of the sentence. Note that the clause before the colon or dash must be able to stand on its own as a complete sentence.

Unnecessary Punctuation

Knowing when punctuation should not be used is equally important. If an underlined portion includes punctuation, take time to consider if it should be included at all.

Parenthetical Elements

Parenthetical elements may appear at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence. They must be properly punctuated with parentheses, commas, or dashes for the sentence to be grammatically correct. A phrase such as the capital of France is considered parenthetical if the rest of the sentence is grammatically correct when it is removed. Do not mix and match; a parenthetical element must begin and end with the same type of punctuation.

You need to do this:

If the underlined portion includes punctuation, ask yourself:

· Is the punctuation used correctly?

o The punctuation needs to be the correct type (comma, dash, or colon) and in the correct location.

· Is the punctuation necessary?

o If you cannot identify a reason why the punctuation is included, the punctuation should be removed.

Explanation:

Make sure every underlined punctuation mark is serving a function. Commas serve a variety of purposes, but in this sentence as written, the underlined comma separates the subject (“claw”) from part of its compound verb (“grips... and releases”). A comma should never separate a subject and verb, so eliminate (A). Only (B) correctly punctuates the sentence by removing the punctuation altogether. The other choices also separate the subject and verb, punctuating the sentence with a semicolon or dash as though joining two independent clauses.

If commas, dashes, and colons give you trouble, study the information above and try these Drill questions before completing the Try on Your Own questions that follow. Edit each sentence to correct the punctuation issue. Answers to the Drill can be found after the Try on Your Own questions.

Drill

a. Jamal doesn’t plan to carve a jack-o’-lantern but he still had fun picking a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch.

b. Eleanor Roosevelt the longest serving First Lady of the United States considered her work on the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights one of her greatest accomplishments.

c. I have three final exams this week Statistics, Biology, and World Literature.

d. The legendary entertainer, Johnny Carson, hosted his late-night talk show for 30 years.

e. Enabling agriculture due to its annual flooding the Nile River was truly the source of life in ancient Egypt.

Try on Your Own

Directions: Take as much time as you need on these questions. Work carefully and methodically. There will be an opportunity for timed practice at the end of the chapter.

Questions 8—15 refer to the following passage.

The Sistine Chapel

One shudders to contemplate Michelangelo’s reaction if he were to gaze up today at the famous frescoes* he painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel over four centuries ago. A practical 8 man: he would no doubt be unsurprised by the effects of time and environment on his masterpiece. He would be philosophical about the damage wrought by mineral salts left behind when rainwater leaked through the roof. He would probably also accept the layers of dirt and soot from coal braziers that heated the chapel and from 9 candles, and incense burned during religious functions. However, he would be appalled by the ravages recently inflicted on his work by restorers.

The Vatican restoration team reveled in inducing a jarringly colorful transformation of the frescoes with 10 special, cleaning solvents and computerized analysis equipment. However, the restorers did not achieve this 11 effect as they claimed merely by removing the dirt and animal glue (employed by earlier restorers to revive muted colors) from the 12 frescoes: the team removed Michelangelo’s final touches as well. Gone from the ceiling is the quality of suppressed anger and thunderous pessimism so often commented upon by admiring scholars. That quality was not an artifact of grime, not a misleading monochrome imposed on the ceiling by time, for Michelangelo himself applied a veil of glaze to the frescoes to darken them after he had deemed his work too bright. The master would have felt compelled to add a few more layers of glaze had the ceiling radiated forth as it does now. The solvents of the restorers 13 stripped away the shadows of the frescoes, reacted chemically with Michelangelo’s pigments, and ultimately produced hues the painter never intended for his art.

Of course, the restorers left open an avenue for the reversal of their progress toward color and brightness. Since the layers of animal glue were no longer there to serve as 14 protection the atmospheric pollutants from the city of Rome gained direct access to the frescoes. Observers already noticed significant darkening in some of the restored work a mere four years after its completion. It remains to be seen whether the measure introduced to arrest this 15 process: an extensive climate-control system—will itself have any long-term effect on the chapel’s ceiling.

8.

A. NO CHANGE

B.man he

C.man, he

D. man—he

9.

A. NO CHANGE

B.candles—and

C.candles. And

D. candles and

10.

A. NO CHANGE

B.special cleaning solvents and computerized, analysis equipment.

C.special cleaning solvents, and computerized analysis equipment.

D. special cleaning solvents and computerized analysis equipment.

11.

A. NO CHANGE

B.effect, as they claimed, merely

C.effect as they claimed, merely

D. effect, as they claimed merely

12.

A. NO CHANGE

B.frescoes, the team

C.frescoes and the team

D. frescoes the team

13.

A. NO CHANGE

B.stripped away the shadows of the frescoes reacted chemically with Michelangelo’s pigments, and ultimately produced hues the painter never intended for his art.

C.stripped away the shadows of the frescoes; reacted chemically with Michelangelo’s pigments; and ultimately produced hues the painter never intended for his art.

D. stripped away the shadows of the frescoes, reacted chemically with Michelangelo’s pigments; and ultimately produced hues the painter never intended for his art.

14.

A. NO CHANGE

B.protection, the

C.protection—the

D. protection; the

15.

A. NO CHANGE

B.process—an extensive climate-control system—will

C.process, an extensive climate-control system—will

D. process; an extensive climate-control system; will

Drill answers from before:

Note: These are not the only ways to correct the sentences; your answers may differ.

a. Jamal doesn’t plan to carve a jack-o’-lantern, but he still had fun picking a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch.

b. Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest serving First Lady of the United States, considered her work on the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights one of her greatest accomplishments. OR Eleanor Roosevelt—the longest serving First Lady of the United States—considered her work on the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights one of her greatest accomplishments.

c. I have three final exams this week: Statistics, Biology, and World Literature.

d. The legendary entertainer Johnny Carson hosted his late-night talk show for 30 years. (Commas deleted)

e. Enabling agriculture due to its annual flooding, the Nile River was truly the source of life in ancient Egypt.