Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 66%
Entry Exam
Passage / Scenario
Which language convention is violated in the sentence: 'The gist of the saying went something like this: If a person wants to get ahead in life, you have to be willing to work for it'?
Correct answer
C
Rationale
The violation in the sentence is the incorrect punctuation of the introductory clause. A colon should not be used after 'this' and before 'If' as it is not introducing a list or an explanation. The correct structure would be: 'The gist of the saying went something like this; if a person wants to get ahead in life, you have to be willing to work for it.' The semicolon correctly separates the introductory clause from the subsequent independent clause.