Semi-colons and colons
These two punctuation marks are often confused and their effects are often confused as well. They are very different and you may be asked to comment on them in your close reading assessments!
Semi- colon
The main task of the semicolon is to mark a break that is stronger than a comma but not as final as a full stop. It’s used between two main clauses (statements that could be full sentences) that balance each other and are too closely linked to be made into separate sentences, as in these two examples.
Unlike a comma, a sem-colon can be used instead of a conjunction ( words like ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘for’ etc):
‘The road runs through a beautiful wooded valley; the railway line follows it.’
‘An art director searched North Africa; I went to the Canary Islands.’
The semi-colon can emphasise the connection or the contrast between the two statements.
You can also use a semicolon as a stronger division in a sentence that already contains commas- to break up a list:
The study showed the following: 76% of surveyed firms monitor employee Web-surfing activities, with 65% blocking access to unauthorized Internet locations; over one-third of the firms monitor employee computer keystrokes; half reported storing and reviewing employee emails; 57% monitor employee telephone behaviour, including the inappropriate use of voicemail.
This creates a longer pause than a comma drawing more emphasis on each part, breaking it up and making it easier to read and understand.
Colon:
There are three main uses of the colon:
1. to mark that extra information/an elaboration or a summary will occur about the first clause of the sentence:
‘That is the secret of my extraordinary life: always do the unexpected.’
‘It wasn’t easy: to begin with I had to find the right house.’
2. to introduce a list:
‘The price includes the following: travel to London, flight to Venice, hotel accommodation, and excursions.’
‘The job calls for skills in the following areas: proofing, editing, and database administration.’
3. before a quotation, and sometimes before direct speech:
‘The headline read: ‘Taxi Driver Battles Gangsters’.’
‘They shouted: ‘Our families are starving! We need land!’ ‘
PLEASE STOP ABUSING YOUR PUNCTUATION!
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