<span>The correct answer is b. The sea calmed, but no boats left shore. Option a is incorrect because there are unnecessary commas between the noun and its verb ("sea, calmed" and "boats, left"). Option c is incorrect because when using a semi colon, the phrases on both sides of it should be able to stand alone. While "the sea calmed" can work by itself, "but no boats, left shore" cannot, thus rendering the semi colon incorrect. Additionally, there is an unnecessary comma between the noun "boats" and the verb "left." Finally, option d is incorrect because there should be a comma before the conjunction "but."</span>
The answer is a.. A colon is best used in advance of a new topic or point, and not in the midst of a sentence, as is the case with the other options.
The author's choice of words contributes to the tone of reproval of the passage overall. This is because of the words such as 'cruel', 'conniving' etc.
<h3>What is a tone?</h3>
A tone refers to the attitude or emotion of the author as exemplified by their choice of words.
Some texts have a formal tone, other happy tones, informal tones, and even sad tones.
Learn more about tones at:
brainly.com/question/12176973
