In modern plays, actors typically won't acknowledge the ________ do so breaks the fourth wall, a metaphorical barrier between actors...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

• In modern plays,
  • actors
    • typically won't acknowledge the audience [?]
• do so breaks the fourth wall,
  • a metaphorical barrier
    • between actors and audiences
      • that allows viewers to suspend the knowledge
        • that they're watching a staged performance.

Understanding the Meaning

Let's start reading from the beginning:

The sentence begins with:

• 'In modern plays, actors typically won't acknowledge the audience'
  • In theater performances today, the actors pretend the audience isn't there
  • They don't look at or talk to the people watching

This is where we have the blank. Let's look at the choices:

1. audience. As to
2. audience to
3. audience. To
4. audience, to

So we're deciding about punctuation (period, comma, or nothing) and whether we need "As to" or just "to."

To see what works here, let's read the rest of the sentence and understand what it's saying!

The sentence continues:

• 'do so breaks the fourth wall'
  • "do so" means "acknowledge the audience"
  • "breaks the fourth wall" means it destroys that invisible barrier
  • The "fourth wall" is explained next as a metaphorical barrier between actors and audiences
• 'that allows viewers to suspend the knowledge that they're watching a staged performance'
  • This barrier lets the audience forget they're watching a play
  • They can get absorbed in the story as if it's real

So the complete picture is:

• First statement: Actors don't acknowledge the audience
• Second statement: Doing so (acknowledging them) would break the fourth wall

What do we notice about the structure here?

Let's check if these are complete thoughts:

• First part: "actors typically won't acknowledge the audience"
  • Subject: actors
  • Verb: won't acknowledge
  • This is a complete sentence - it can stand alone!
• Second part: "To do so breaks the fourth wall"
  • Subject: "To do so" (the infinitive phrase is acting as the subject)
  • Verb: breaks
  • This is also a complete sentence - it can stand alone!

When we have two complete sentences, we need to separate them properly. We can't just run them together or connect them with only a comma.

The correct answer is C: audience. To

• The period properly separates the two complete sentences
• "To do so" begins the new sentence, explaining why actors don't acknowledge the audience

Grammar Concept Applied

Properly Separating Complete Sentences

When you have two complete sentences (called independent clauses in grammar terms) - each with its own subject and verb that could stand alone - you must separate them properly.

You CAN use:

• A period: This creates two separate sentences
  • Example: "She loves theater. She attends plays weekly."
• A semicolon: This keeps them as one sentence but shows they're closely related
  • Example: "She loves theater; she attends plays weekly."
• A comma + coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so):
  • Example: "She loves theater, and she attends plays weekly."

You CANNOT use:

• Just a comma - this creates a "comma splice" error
  • Wrong: "She loves theater, she attends plays weekly."
• No punctuation - this creates a "run-on sentence" error
  • Wrong: "She loves theater she attends plays weekly."

In this question:

• First complete sentence: "actors typically won't acknowledge the audience"
  • Subject: actors | Verb: won't acknowledge
• Second complete sentence: "To do so breaks the fourth wall"
  • Subject: To do so | Verb: breaks
  • Note: An infinitive phrase like "To do so" can serve as the subject of a sentence!
• Correct separation: Use a period → "audience. To"