A punctuation question with the same word in every choice tests whether a spot needs a mark. Start by naming the parts at the blank: what belongs together, and what needs separating? A comma can separate list items or set off extra words; a dash can set off extra words; a semicolon joins two complete sentences. Then check the subject and verb: no single mark separates them. Use no punctuation when no separation is needed. A pause alone isn't a reason for punctuation.
Hints
- Hint 1
Read the words before the blank on their own. Do they make a complete sentence, or do you still need to learn what the group is doing?
- Hint 2
Ask who is turning to podcasts, and find all the words that name that group. Try replacing that whole group with they.
Step-by-step
Test the mark and name the parts
Step 1Test the semicolon
Read Large numbers of social media and stop at the blank. Can those words stand alone as a sentence? There's no verb telling what the group does yet, so these words aren't a complete sentence. A semicolon needs a complete sentence on each side, which rules out the version with a semicolon.
- Step 2
Find the subject and verb
Across the blank, are turning gives us the verb, which tells what the group does. Who is turning to podcasts? The full phrase before this verb answers that question, so it's the subject, the words naming who or what the sentence is about. The blank sits between the subject and its verb.
- Step 3
Shrink the subject
Let's shrink the subject to they: “They are turning to podcasts.” No single punctuation mark goes between a subject and its verb, so the versions with a comma and with a dash split words that belong together. Use creators with no punctuation to keep the full subject attached to its verb. Choice A.