Semicolons, Colons and Hyphens Andrew Rohm, John Hagee

Bad grammar and poor punctuation is not a laughing matter.

Semicolons Semicolons A semicolon is used to separate complete ideas that could stand alone as sentences; however, the ideas are related, so the author wants to put them together. My grandmother seldom goes to bed this early; she's afraid she'll miss out on something. Independent Clauses A semicolon is used to separate complete ideas that could stand alone as sentences; however, the ideas are related, so the author wants to put them together. Many times these independent clauses have joining words between them: Also, finally, instead, besides, for example, on the contrary, consequently, however, still, even so, in addition, therefore. I made it through my exam; finally, my class is over. Examples:

When a list contains commas to separate items, the parts of the sentence should be separated by semicolons. To help sort out a monster list: Examples: There were citizens from Bangor, Maine; Hartford, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; and Newport, Rhode Island. Last night, Leno’s guests included Mel Gibson, star of stage, screen and squad car; Bertrand Russell, renown as the world champion of Philosophers; and William Shakespeare, sometimes called the “Bard of Avon” or simply “Bard.”

The HYPHEN

HYPHENS Use a hyphen to form compound modifiers. COMPOUND MODIFIER: The Definition: Two or more words are acting as a single modifier for a noun. The Clue: They belong together. They are not part of a series that can separately describe the noun. I think Steve is a well- intentioned volunteer. Steve is a helpful, supportive volunteer. The 20-year-old man was too young to buy alcohol. NOTE: If you can remove one of the descriptors from the string, it is not a compound modifier and so does not need hyphens

COLONS Colons are used to introduce whatever follows them in a sentence. USE IN THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS: After a complete statement in order to introduce one or more directly related ideas, such as a series of directions, a list, or a quotation or other comment illustrating or explaining the statement. The daily newspaper contains four sections: news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads. The strategies of corporatist industrial unionism have proven ineffective: compromises and concessions have left labor in a weakened position in the new "flexible" economy. In a business letter greeting. Dear Ms. Winstead: Between the hour and minutes in time notation. 5:30 p.m. Between chapter and verse in biblical references. Genesis 1:18

Works Cited “The Tongue Untied, A Guide to Grammar, Punctuation and Style.” University of Oregon. 3 July 2008 “Brief Overview of Punctuation: Semicolon, Colon, Parenthesis, Dash, Quotation Marks, and Italics.” Purdue University Online Writing Lab. 3 July 2008 “The Semicolon.” Guide to Grammar and Writing. 6 July 2008 <