Main content
SAT
Course: SAT > Unit 11
Lesson 3: Writing: Grammar- Writing: Setting Up Ideas — Video Lesson
- Setting up ideas | Quick guide
- Writing: Strong Support — Video lesson
- Strong support | Quick guide
- Writing: Relevant Information — Video lesson
- Relevant information | Quick guide
- Writing: Sequencing sentences — Video lesson
- Sequencing sentences | Quick guide
- Writing: Transition Words — Video lesson
- Transition words and phrases | Quick guide
- Writing: Transition Sentences — Video Lesson
- Transition sentences | Quick guide
- Writing: Introductions — Video lesson
- Writing: Conclusions — Video lesson
- Introductions and conclusions | Quick guide
- Writing: Interpreting Graphs and Data — Video lesson
- Interpreting graphs and data | Quick guide
- Writing: Precision — Video Lesson
- Precise word choice | Quick guide
- Writing: Concision — Video lesson
- Concision | Quick guide
- Writing: Formal and Informal Language — Video Lesson
- Writing: Formal vs. casual language — Example
- Formal vs. casual language | Quick guide
- Writing: Syntax — Example
- Writing: Sentence Fragments — Video Lesson
- Writing: Sentence Boundaries — Example 1
- Writing: Sentence boundaries — Example 2
- Sentence fragments | Quick guide
- Writing: Subordination and coordination — Example
- Writing: Combining Sentences — Video Lesson
- Linking clauses | Quick guide
- Writing: Parallel Structure — Video lesson
- Writing: Parallel structure — Example
- Parallel structure | Quick guide
- Writing: Modifier Placement — Video Lesson
- Writing: Modifier placement — Example
- Modifier placement | Quick guide
- Writing: Verb Tense and Mood — Video Lesson
- Writing: Shift in verb tense and mood — Example
- Verb tense and mood | Quick guide
- Writing: Pronoun Clarity — Video Lesson
- Writing: Pronoun clarity — Example
- Pronoun clarity | Quick guide
- Writing: Pronoun Agreement — Video Lesson
- Writing: Pronoun-antecedent agreement — Example
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement | Quick guide
- Writing: Possessive determiners — Example 1
- Writing: Possessive determiners — Example 2
- Writing: It’s/Its Confusion — Video Lesson
- Confusion with "its" and "their" | Quick guide
- Writing: Subject-Verb Agreement — Video Lesson
- Writing: Subject-verb agreement — Example
- Subject-verb agreement | Quick guide
- Writing: Noun Agreement — Video Lesson
- Writing: Noun agreement — Basic example
- Noun agreement | Quick guide
- Writing: Frequently Confused Words — Video Lesson
- Writing: Frequently confused words — Example
- Frequently confused words | Quick guide
- Writing: Conventional Expressions — Video Lesson
- Writing: Conventional expression — Example
- Conventional expressions | Quick guide
- Writing: Logical Comparison — Video Lesson
- Writing: Logical comparison — Example
- Logical comparison | Quick guide
- Writing: End-of-sentence punctuation — Example 1
- Writing: End-of-sentence punctuation — Example 2
- Writing: Commas — Video Lesson
- Commas | Quick guide
- Writing: Semicolons — Video Lesson
- Semicolons | Quick guide
- Writing: Colons — Video lesson
- Colons | Quick guide
- Writing: Possessive Pronouns — Example
- Writing: Possessive Nouns — Video Lesson
- Making nouns possessive | Quick guide
- Writing: Items in a series — Example
- Writing: Punctuating Lists — Video Lesson
- Lists and punctuation | Quick guide
- Writing: Nonrestrictive and parenthetical elements — Example
- Writing: Nonessential Elements — Video Lesson
- Nonessential elements | Quick guide
© 2023 Khan AcademyTerms of usePrivacy PolicyCookie Notice
Writing: Colons — Video lesson
David demonstrates a question about colons on the SAT Writing and Language test. Created by David Rheinstrom.
Want to join the conversation?
- If it didn't have a comma at the end of option B, would B also be correct.(1 vote)
- how do i make a list of settings?(0 votes)
Video transcript
- [Instructor] I'm on question 22 here on this writing and language test. And that question starts here. Through such initiatives,
beaver populations are doing what they do best: engineering healthier,
more stable ecosystems. All right. Let's figure out what
kind of question this is. Our choices are all different
kinds of punctuation, right? So no changes. This semi-colon. B is em dash. C is a colon, and D is a comma. So that means we're looking
at a punctuation question. Now, how best to tackle it? You're going to see about five
or six punctuation questions on your SAT. And a great tip in general
with punctuation questions is to check the clause before
the piece of punctuation. Colons, periods, and semi-colons all have to come after
independent clauses, for example. But a comma can't follow
an independent clause unless it's being joined to
another independent clause with a coordinating
conjunction like and or but. So let's go back and check the
clause and see what we learn. Remember, an independent clause has to be able to stand
on its own as a sentence. So we need a subject and a main verb. I see beaver populations as our subject, and are doing as our verb. So this is an independent clause here. But a semi-colon can only be used to unite two independent clauses. So what's after the punctuation? Engineering healthier,
more stable ecosystems. Okay, I don't see a
subject or a main verb. Engineering here has no helper verb, so it's a participle. And that means we treat it like a noun. This isn't an independent clause. So that means that the
semi-colon is no good. We can safely knock out choice A. Let's test the next
choice with an em dash. So em dashes are usually used in pairs to set off asides, but they can also be used like
colons to set up examples. But also like colons, they have to come after
independent clauses when they're used this way. Okay. That checks out so far. But there's something else
happening here in this choice. There's that comma after engineering, which chops up the second
part of the sentence in this weird, awkward way. Engineering, comma, healthier, more stable ecosystems. When really, healthier
more stable ecosystems is the object of engineering. It's what the engineering accomplishes. So that comma makes this weird and awkward and not our choice. And the same thing is
happening in choice D because it also has that
comma after engineering. Right? You're not supposed to separate a verb from its object with a comma. And that leaves C as our answer. It uses a colon to introduce an example which is one of the
colon's many functions. And we know it's appropriately used because it comes after
an independent clause. So with punctuation questions generally, your strategy is this. First, look on either side of
the punctuation being tested and check the phrases and clauses that piece of punctuation is connecting. And then ask yourself, what
is the sentence trying to do? Is it setting up a list? Is it connecting to independent clauses? Use your punctuation knowledge to eliminate things that
obviously don't work. And then look for subtler clues, like those rogue commas
in the worked example. You will never have to do choose between two correct answers. There will always be
some other kind of error that spoils the other choices.