Question

Find where the colons and semicolons go in the provided sentences. Which of the following is correct?

a) COLONS: *I gave you the spray bottles for one reason: to clean the windows. SEMICOLONS: *I want to wear the red shirt; my favorite color is red.
b) COLONS: *I gave you the spray bottles for one reason: to clean the windows. SEMICOLONS: *I want to wear the red shirt; my favorite color is red.
c) COLONS: *I gave you the spray bottles for one reason, to clean the windows. SEMICOLONS: *I want to wear the red shirt; my favorite color is red.
d) COLONS: *I gave you the spray bottles for one reason, to clean the windows. SEMICOLONS: *I want to wear the red shirt; my favorite color is red.

Answer 1

A and b are correct. They seem like they are the same sentences as well, but nevertheless they are correct.

Answer 2

The correct use of colons and semicolons in the sentences provided is option (a), COLONS: *I gave you the spray bottles for one reason: to clean the windows. SEMICOLONS: *I want to wear the red shirt; my favorite color is red.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct option for using colons and semicolons in the provided sentences is option (a). The colon is correctly used after an independent clause to introduce a related idea, which in this case is the reason for giving the spray bottles - to clean the windows. The semicolon is used properly to connect two independent clauses that are closely related - the desire to wear the red shirt and the fact that the speaker's favorite color is red.