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The Semicolon (;) and the Colon (:)
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By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
identify a dependent and independent clause, subject, predicate, conjunction, and conjunctive adverb (and yes, you’ll know how to properly use a semi-colon).
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Background information
A semi-colon can be used to join two independent clauses. What’s a clause? It is a group of words with a subject (who or what it’s about) and a predicate (verb or action). An independent clause makes sense on its own, (for example … The game was over.). A dependent clause has to borrow some info to make sense, (for example … After the game was over). You’re waiting for info to know what happened. You can’t use a semi-colon with dependent clauses.
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More Semi-colons can’t be used with a conjunction. They feud and shoot guns at each other! What’s a conjunction? It’s a joining word like, “and”, “because” or “but”. You can have two independent clauses with a comma and a conjunction between them. It’s another choice you have as a writer. Warning, semi-colons hate conjunctions, but commas and conjunctions have love affairs! Example… I love cats, but I like dogs more.
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1st use of a Semicolon The first appropriate use of the semicolon is to connect two related sentences. The pattern looks like this: Complete sentence + ; + complete sentence . Here is an example: My eighty-one-year-old grandmother still rides her Harley motorcycle; her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.
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2nd Use of a Semicolon You can also team up a semicolon with a transition to connect two complete sentences that are close in meaning. The pattern looks like this: Complete sentence + ; + transition + , + complete sentence . Check out this example: My father does not approve of his mother cruising around town on a Harley motorcycle; however, Grandma has never cared what anyone thinks.
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Don’t feel sorry for the lonely semi-colon
Don’t feel sorry for the lonely semi-colon. He loves to flirt with conjunctive adverbs. Besides joining two independent clauses by itself, a semi-colon can also be used with a conjunctive adverb between those two independent clauses. You can join a semi-colon with a conjunctive adverb. Conjunctive adverbs are words that join whole clauses to each other and indicate the nature of the connection. Sounds like romance eh?
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Need some examples?. Conjunctive adverbs you might use are: however, therefore, consequently, moreover, besides, instead, furthermore, hence, nevertheless, otherwise 1. We went to Elliott’s house; nevertheless, we had a good time. 2. Ellen took cough syrup; consequently, she stopped hacking in class. Ellen, consequently, stopped hacking in class.
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3rd Use of a Semicolon Finally, use the semicolon to avoid confusion when you have complicated lists of items. The pattern looks like this: Item + , + More Information + ; + Item + , + More Information + ; + and + Item + , + More Information Read the following example: On a Harley motorcycle, my grandmother and her poodle have traveled to Anchorage, Alaska; San Francisco, California; and Tijuana, Mexico.
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The semi –colon has 3 main uses:
It joins two main clauses when there is no conjunction. For example…My mother is Korean; my father is German. It joins 2 independent clauses when a conjunctive adverb is used between the clauses. For example… You are ill; therefore you should stay home. For clearer separation, the semi-colon is used to separate complicated unrelated items. For example…We had visitors from: Goderich, Ontario; Gull Bay, Newfoundland; Winston, Quebec; and Seoul, South Korea.
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Reminders about Semicolon Use
Keep these three things in mind when you use a semicolon: The two main clauses that the semicolon joins should be closely related in meaning. Don't capitalize the word that follows the semicolon unless that word is a proper noun, one that is always capitalized. Limit your use of semicolons; you should not scatter them throughout your writing. Semicolons are like glasses of champagne; save them for special occasions.
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Use a Colon… 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. For Example: The ideals of democracy haven proven to be unfair: they impede on citizens natural rights as human beings.
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…to introduce a list… The daily newspaper contains four sections: news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads.
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between the hour and minutes.
He said he would be at home by 5:30 p.m.
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between chapter and verse in biblical references.
He always liked to refer to Genesis 1:18 when starting a speech.
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Practice We study therefore we make good marks.
2. I love Italian food Lasagna is my favorite. 3. I have several vehicles a Ford Mustang a Chevrolet Camaro a Lincoln Zephyr a Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes-Benz SLK Class Roadster.
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This is how each usage and placement looks:
We went to the store; we bought ties. We went to the store; consequently, we bought ties. We went to the store, and we bought ties. We went to the store. We bought ties.
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Quiz 1.What is a conjunction? Give an example.
2.What’s the difference between a dependent clause and an independent clause? 3.What is a subject? 4.What is a predicate? 5.Which punctuation hates conjunctions? 6. Which punctuation loves conjunctions? 7.What is our formula for using a transition in a sentence? 8. Which punctuation loves conjunctive adverbs?
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