Question

Select the three incorrectly used colons and semi-colons in the extract below. There are many different tours that offer a more interesting; and healthy; way of getting around: the Darwin 7- day dash: the Mawson Trail; and the Bondi bike ride are just three of our most popular options."

Answer 1

Three incorrectly used punctuation marks have been identified: two semi-colons that should be commas and a colon that should be replaced by a period. The semi-colons in question should not be used to separate listed items, and the colon should not be placed before the continuation of a list.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the provided extract, colons and semi-colons are used to punctuate a list and to provide additional information. However, some of these punctuation marks have been used incorrectly. The correct usage of colons is to introduce lists, summaries, and quotations following an independent clause, while semi-colons should be used to join closely related independent clauses or to separate larger list items that already contain commas.

Here are the three incorrectly used colons and semi-colons in the extract:

• Incorrect semi-colon: '...a more interesting; and healthy; way...' should be '...a more interesting and healthy way...'
• Incorrect semi-colon: '...the Darwin 7- day dash: the Mawson Trail; and the Bondi...' should be '...the Darwin 7- day dash, the Mawson Trail, and the Bondi...'
• Incorrect semi-colon: '...3 of our most popular options.' should end with a period rather than a colon.

The correct punctuation would be commas in place of the semi-colons after 'interesting' and 'Trail' because they are not separating independent clauses or complex list items. The colon after 'dash' is also unnecessary, as the sentence is followed by a continuation of the list and not an independent clause or complete sentence.

Answer 2

There are many different tours that offer a more interesting; and healthy; way of getting around: the Darwin 7- day dash: the Mawson Trail; and the Bondi bike ride are just three of our most popular options."

Step-by-step explanation:

The above sentence is wrongly punctuated as it employs the colon and semicolon wrongly.

Colons(:) are used for various purposes like separating two independent clauses or to introduce a list or series of items while semicolon is employed to connect two independent clauses which convey complete thoughts together.

In the given sentence, semicolons are wrongly employed after 'interesting', 'healthy', and 'Mawson Trail' as it is separating the elements of the sentence which destroys the meaning of the sentence. The Colon is also used incorrectly after 'the Darwin 7-day dash' as it is introducing the list inappropriately.

In order to rectify these errors, the semicolons would be removed from the prior clause and in the latter clause, the incorrect colon and semicolon would be replaced with a comma(,) to separate the items of the list. After rectifying these errors, the sentence reads as:

There are many different tours that offer a more interesting and healthy way of getting around: the Darwin 7- day dash, the Mawson Trail, and the Bondi bike ride are just three of our most popular options."