emicolons, Colons, Dashes and Parentheses: Recall Exercise 2. Identify the correct sentence.
a) Here's what I'd suggest—major in business; and minor in Spanish
. b) Here's what I'd suggest; (major in business and minor in Spanish).
c) Here's what I'd suggest: major in business and minor in Spanish.
d) Here's what I'd suggest; major in business and minor in Spanish.
I'll be glad to check your answer.
To identify the correct sentence, we need to understand the rules for using semicolons, colons, dashes, and parentheses.
Option a) uses a dash to set off the suggestions in the sentence. However, it incorrectly uses a semicolon after the word "business." According to the rules, a semicolon should only be used to separate two closely related independent clauses. Hence, option a) is not correct.
Option b) uses a semicolon after "suggest" and a set of parentheses to group the suggestions. While the use of parentheses is correct as they are used to enclose additional information, a semicolon is not appropriate for this sentence. Therefore, option b) is not correct.
Option c) uses a colon to introduce the suggestions and correctly lists them without using any additional punctuation. According to the rules, a colon is used to introduce a list or an explanation, making option c) the correct sentence.
Option d) uses a semicolon to separate the suggestions, which is incorrect. As stated earlier, a semicolon is used for separating independent clauses, and the suggestions in the sentence are not independent clauses. Therefore, option d) is not correct.
In conclusion, the correct sentence is c) "Here's what I'd suggest: major in business and minor in Spanish."