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Which choice correctly uses a colon to rewrite sentence 25?

1) to top off our wonderful morning, we ate the fresh catch of the day: which was shrimp, crawfish, and oysters.
2) to top off our wonderful morning, we ate the fresh catch of the day, which was: shrimp, crawfish, and oysters.
3) to top off our wonderful morning, we ate the fresh catch of the day: shrimp, crawfish, and oysters.
4) to top off our wonderful morning: we ate the fresh catch of the day, shrimp, crawfish, and oysters.

User Jafo
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1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

Option 3 correctly uses a colon to introduce a list that relates directly to the preceding clause: "To top off our wonderful morning, we ate the fresh catch of the day: shrimp, crawfish, and oysters."

Step-by-step explanation:

When rewriting sentence 25 using a colon, option 3 is the correct choice. According to the rule that a colon can be used after an independent clause to introduce a list, quotation, or other idea directly related to the independent clause, the sentence should read as follows: "To top off our wonderful morning, we ate the fresh catch of the day: shrimp, crawfish, and oysters." This sentence structure uses the colon to announce the specific items that make up the fresh catch of the day, which directly relate to and provide detail for the preceding clause.

Colons should not be used between a verb and its complement or between a preposition and its object, as seen in the incorrect options. For example, option 1 improperly inserts "which was" after the colon, and option 4 incorrectly places the colon after an introductory phrase. Option 2 separates the verb "was" from what it was referring to with a colon, which is also not the correct use of a colon.

User Tplive
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