Question

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
A) Always ask yourself a question like: Am I pleased with the results?
B) One question you should always ask yourself: Am I pleased with the results?
C) One question you should always ask yourself is: Am I pleased with the results?
D) Always ask yourself this question: Am I pleased with the results?

Answer 1

Hint: In the given question, we have to identify the proper punctuated sentence. Punctuations are the marks, such as full stop, comma, and brackets, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.

Complete answer:
In the given question we have to identify the appropriate punctuation as well as it’s correct placement. Even if we use the correct punctuation but if it is not correctly placed in the sentence, it would lead to inappropriate sentences.

Let us evaluate the options:
Option A) Always ask yourself a question like: Am I pleased with the results? – This option is incorrect because it uses 'like' which is usually used for comparison. Since we are not comparing two questions, it would not be appropriate.
Option B) One question you should always ask yourself: Am I pleased with the results? – This option is correct because the colon is used properly and the question mark is used for asking the sentence at the end.
Option C) One question you should always ask yourself is: Am I pleased with the results? – This option is incorrect because it has 'is' before the colon, which implies a declaration and not listing. This would not be appropriate in the given case where we are listing one question instead of declaring.
Option D) Always ask yourself this question: Am I pleased with the results? – This option is incorrect because a semicolon should be used instead of a colon. A semicolon is most usually used to connect two distinct clauses that are closely related to the idea (in a single sentence). When a semicolon is used to unite two or more ideas (parts) in a sentence, they are assigned the same rank or position.

Hence option ‘B’ is correct. One question you should always ask yourself: Am I pleased with the results? - is the correctly punctuated sentence.

Note: Punctuation is a very valuable tool. It brings the written word to life and aids in the communication of the meanings and intentions of the writers. Some of the pieces have kept their technical value (for example, the semicolon and the apostrophe). Punctuation, on the other hand, should be used (sparingly) to help us communicate what we want to say. We use intonation, pauses, body language, and volume to help our listeners understand what we're saying when we speak. Punctuation provides the same purpose in literature.