Question 1

Isn't the "worlds" in this case a posssessive noun: "According to the World Economic Forum, the worlds three most populous cities in 2016". Like the cities of the world?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is, and should have an apostrophe because of that. I don't know why the example sentence doesn't have an apostrophe in "worlds", but you can go to ask a question and click "report a mistake", and perhaps you might get more info.

Question 2

what is the difference between its,it's and its'

Accepted Answer

Khan Academy's Grammar course actually has a video on that topic, so you could search for that if it would help you more.

"Its" is a possessive pronoun. You can remember that this is the version without any apostrophe because none of the possessive pronouns (my, their, her, your, etc.) use apostrophes. You'd use this word in a sentence like: "When I was looking for my bike, I found that someone had cut *its* lock."

"It's" is a contraction. It basically compresses the words "it is", so you use it when the sentence would still make sense if you substituted "it is". You can remember where to put the apostrophe because we always add an apostrophe where we remove letters in a contraction.

"Its'" is not a word, and we never use it.

Question 3

Isn't the second question supposed to be "avoid sugary drinks every day," to maintain parallelism? the other two items in the list end in a different fashion, so i thought that was grammatically incorrect.

Accepted Answer

Parallelism isn't a grammatical rule and it's perfectly fine for it to be violated. Instead, it is a widely followed style choice. So it's not grammatically incorrect. It would be off-putting, but it's not impossible to not be parallel. Perhaps the author believed that using the "-ing" form of the verbs was enough parallelism for him.

Question 4

How do you know when to use the semicolon

Accepted Answer

we use semi colon ; between two independent clauses

Question 5

Can a semicolon be used in every sentence ?

Accepted Answer

No, a semicolon cannot be used in every sentence. Semicolons have specific purposes in punctuation, and their use is governed by certain rules. Here are the primary functions of semicolons:

1. **Connecting Independent Clauses:** Semicolons can be used to connect two independent clauses (complete sentences) that are closely related in meaning. For example:
   
   - **Correct**: I enjoy hiking; it helps me stay active.
   - **Incorrect**: I enjoy hiking; in the summer.

2. **Separating Items in a List:** Semicolons can also be used to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas. This is known as the "supercomma" or "serial semicolon." For example:

- **Correct**: The conference attendees included Jane, the marketing manager; John, the CEO; and Sarah, the CFO.

3. **Clarifying Complex Lists:** Semicolons can help clarify complex lists when the items in the list are long or contain internal punctuation. For example:

- **Correct**: The final exam will cover chapters 1, 2, and 3; appendix A; the supplementary readings; and the online discussion forum.

Outside of these specific uses, semicolons are not typically used in every sentence. In many cases, a comma or a period is more appropriate for separating sentence elements. It's important to use semicolons judiciously and in accordance with the rules of punctuation to maintain clear and effective communication in your writing.

Question 6

so do just take a Punctuation is required to separate items in a list of three or more. No punctuation is needed for a list of two.

Accepted Answer

You're right! We use commas to separate items that are in lists of 3 or more. For example, if you had 3 favorite foods you could say "My favorite foods are ice cream, turkey sandwiches, and cheesecake". 
For lists of 2, all you need to connect items is "and". You would then say "My favorite foods are ice cream and turkey sandwiches".

SAT (Fall 2023)

Course: SAT (Fall 2023) > Unit 11

Lists and punctuation | Quick guide

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