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The following definitions and examples are from ChompChomp.com.
Grammar Bytes!
Grammar Instruction with Attitude ©1997 - 2007 by Robin L. Simmons
All Rights Reserved.
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.
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.
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.
Keep these three things in mind when you use a semicolon:
1. The two main clauses that the semicolon joins
should be closely related in meaning.
2. Don't capitalize the word that follows the semicolon unless that word is a proper noun, one that is always capitalized.
3. Limit your use of semicolons; you should not scatter them recklessly throughout your writing. Save them for special occasions.
Go to this site: http://tinyurl.com/Semicolonquiz Show me your score! (You’ll need at least a
70% to receive credit, so use your notes!)
Thanks to OWL, the Online Writing Lab from Purdue University,
for the following information.
Use a colon after a complete sentence 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.
Proper colon usage looks like this:
General complete sentence: specification, amplification, or explanation.
Example: He had one goal: to pass the course.
The element following the colon can be a sentence, a phrase, a single word, a quotation; but the element before the colon must be a complete sentence.
Example: This first part must be a complete
sentence: not this part!
Correct: His beach equipment included the following items: a towel, a pair of sunglasses, and some sunscreen.
Incorrect: His beach equipment included: a
towel, a pair of sunglasses, and some sunscreen.
The daily newspaper contains four sections:
news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads.
Examples: This I know: Do or do not. There is no try. The four most beautiful words in our
common language: I told you so.
The rule was clear: no texting in class.
He said he would be at home by 5:30 p.m.
He always liked to refer to Genesis 1:18 when
starting a speech.
Space once between a colon and the next
word, when the colon is used between words. Do not space between numerals and a colon
when a colon is used to mark time or ratios.
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