Question 32·Medium·Boundaries
Support for "complete streets" has grown for one crucial ______ promoting safer and more sustainable cities.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundaries questions, first determine whether the text before and after the blank are independent clauses. Use a semicolon only between two independent clauses; use a colon after an independent clause to introduce an explanation or example; avoid commas or periods if they would create a fragment or an illogical/dangling modifier.
Hints
Identify the structure before the blank
Ask whether the words before the blank could stand alone as a complete sentence.
Identify the structure after the blank
Decide whether the words after the blank form an independent clause or just an explanatory phrase.
Match punctuation to function
Use the punctuation that can introduce an explanation after a complete statement.
Step-by-step Explanation
Check what comes before the blank
The words before the blank form an independent clause:
Support for "complete streets" has grown for one crucial reason
So the punctuation after reason can introduce an explanation, but it must follow a complete statement.
Check what comes after the blank
The words after the blank are not an independent clause:
promoting safer and more sustainable cities
This is a participial phrase that explains what the reason is.
Choose punctuation that introduces an explanation
A colon is used after a complete statement to introduce explanatory or illustrative material.
So the best completion is reason:.