Semi-colons and colons.
WHAT THIS HANDOUT IS ABOUT
This handout explains the most common uses of three kinds of punctuation: semi-colons (;), colons (:), and dashes (—). After reading the handout, you will be better able to decide when to use these forms of punctuation in your own writing.
SEMI-COLONS
The semi-colon looks like a comma with a period above it, and this can be a good way to remember what it does. A semi-colon creates more separation between thoughts than a comma does but less than a period does. Here are the two most common uses of the semi-colon:
To help separate items in a list, when some of those items already contain commas. Let’s look at an example, as that is the easiest way to understand this use of the semi-colon. Suppose I want to list three items that I bought at the grocery store:
- apples
- grapes
- pears
In a sentence, I would separate these items with commas:
- I bought apples, grapes, and pears.
Now suppose that the three items I want to list are described in phrases that already contain some commas:
- shiny, ripe apples
- small, sweet, juicy grapes
- firm pears
If I use commas to separate these items, my sentence looks like this:
- I bought shiny, ripe apples, small, sweet, juicy grapes, and firm pears.
That middle part is a bit confusing—it doesn’t give the reader many visual cues about how many items are in the list, or about which words should be grouped together. Here is where the semi-colon can help. The commas between items can be “bumped up” a notch and turned into semi-colons, so that readers can easily tell how many items are in the list and which words go together:
- I bought shiny, ripe apples; small, sweet, juicy grapes; and firm pears.
To join two sentences. An independent clause is a group of words that can stand on its own (independently)—it is a complete sentence. Semi-colons can be used between two independent clauses. The semi-colon keeps the clauses somewhat separate, like a period would do, so we can easily tell which ideas belong to which clause. But it also suggests that there may be a close relationship between the two clauses—closer than you would expect if there were a period between them. Let’s look at a few examples. Here are a few fine independent clauses, standing on their own as complete sentences:
- I went to the grocery store today. I bought a ton of fruit. Apples, grapes, and pears were on sale.
Now—where could semi-colons fit in here? They could be used to join two (but not all three) of the independent clauses together. So either of these pairs of sentences would be o.k.:
- I went to the grocery store today; I bought a ton of fruit. Apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale.
OR
- I went to the grocery store today. I bought a ton of fruit; apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale.
I could NOT do this:
- I went to the grocery store today; I bought a ton of fruit; apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale.
But why I would want to use a semi-colon here, anyway? One reason might have to do with style: the three short sentences sound kind of choppy or abrupt. A stronger reason might be if I wanted to emphasize a relationship between two of the sentences. If I connect “I bought a ton of fruit” and “Apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale” more closely, readers may realize that the reason why I bought so much fruit is that there was a great sale on it.
COLONS
Colons follow independent clauses (clauses that could stand alone as sentences) and can be used to present an explanation, draw attention to something, or join ideas together.
Common uses of colons
To announce, introduce, or direct attention to a list, a noun or noun phrase, a quotation, or an example/explanation. You can use a colon to draw attention to many things in your writing. The categories listed below often overlap, so don’t worry too much about whether your intended use of the colon fits one category perfectly.
- Lists/series example: We covered many of the fundamentals in our writing class: grammar, punctuation, style, and voice.
- Noun/noun phrase example: My roommate gave me the things I needed most: companionship and quiet.
- Quotation example: Shakespeare said it best: “To thine own self be true.”
- Example/explanation example: Many graduate students discover that there is a dark side to academia: late nights, high stress, and a crippling addiction to caffeinated beverages.
To join sentences. You can use a colon to connect two sentences when the second sentence summarizes, sharpens, or explains the first. Both sentences should be complete, and their content should be very closely related. Note that if you use colons this way too often, it can break up the flow of your writing. So don’t go colon-crazy!
- Example: Life is like a puzzle: half the fun is in trying to work it out.
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