ݺߣ

ݺߣShare a Scribd company logo

Brandon when to use semicolons, colons, and commas

•
•
C
Camille Overmoe

When to Use Semicolons, Colons, and Commas provides guidelines on using these three punctuation marks: Commas are used to separate items in a list, clauses, parenthetical information, and adjectives. Semicolons separate closely related independent clauses not joined by a conjunction. They can also separate items in a list that already contain commas. Colons introduce a list, explanation, definition, or description that follows the colon and relates to the preceding text.

1 of 2
Download to read offline
When to Use Semicolons, Colons, and Commas Commas: By far the most common of these three punctuations, commas have several uses: 1. To separate items in a list: “I will have a spicy tuna roll, Edamame,* and a Pepsi.” *Note: the comma placed before the conjunction in a list is known as an Oxford Comma. There is a massive, nerdy debate still raging over whether or not Oxford Commas should be used, but in almost all cases, whether or not an Oxford Comma is used is totally up to personal preference. However, in some bizarre cases, an Oxford Comma can change the meaning of a sentence, as in this famous example: “To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.” VS. “To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.” (See the difference?) 2. To separate clauses: “I want to come to karaoke, but I have to stay home and pet the cat.” (2 Independent Clauses) “Riding down the hill, I slipped on a patch of ice and lost my dignity.” (Dependent + Independent Clause) Important! When separating independent clauses with a comma, you MUST use a conjunction. Not doing so results in what is known as a comma splice. “We came ready to party, the place was a total sausage fest.” INCORRECT “We came ready to party, but the place was a total sausage fest.” CORRECT 3. Commas follow certain adverbs such as therefore, however, and in fact. 4. To separate parenthetical information (i.e. information that is not essential to the meaning of a sentence): “My roommate, an inconsiderate, boorish degenerate, drank my milk.” 5. To separate adjectives: “The class was an insufferable, boring, perplexing waste of time.” Semicolon: It is sometimes confusing to know when to use a semicolon, but there are really only two purposes for this punctuation: 1. To separate closely related independent clauses that are not conjoined with a conjunction:
“I woke up in the snow this morning; I didn’t go to class.” This is one sentence made up of two clauses that could stand on their own as independent sentences, but that are so closely related that they belong in one sentence. Using a semicolon is an excellent way to avoid a comma splice. If you have two independent clauses that are closely related but do not need a conjunction, separate them with a semicolon. 2. To separate items in a list that already contain commas: “At the party I saw Tim, the guy from the pie eating contest; Gertrude, the lady who bakes me chocolate chip cookies; and Pierre, the man of few words with an excellent taste in fashion.” Colon: A colon basically has one general purpose: to inform the reader that what follows the colon in the sentence proves, explains, defines, describes, or lists elements of what came before it. It can be used for lists: “There are three things essential to a student’s success: caffeine, brownnosing, and making stuff up.” It can also be used when you want to put emphasis on the thing that follows the colon: “There is only one thing in the entire world that I care about: using semicolons correctly.”  

More Related Content

Brandon when to use semicolons, colons, and commas

  • 1. When to Use Semicolons, Colons, and Commas Commas: By far the most common of these three punctuations, commas have several uses: 1. To separate items in a list: “I will have a spicy tuna roll, Edamame,* and a Pepsi.” *Note: the comma placed before the conjunction in a list is known as an Oxford Comma. There is a massive, nerdy debate still raging over whether or not Oxford Commas should be used, but in almost all cases, whether or not an Oxford Comma is used is totally up to personal preference. However, in some bizarre cases, an Oxford Comma can change the meaning of a sentence, as in this famous example: “To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.” VS. “To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.” (See the difference?) 2. To separate clauses: “I want to come to karaoke, but I have to stay home and pet the cat.” (2 Independent Clauses) “Riding down the hill, I slipped on a patch of ice and lost my dignity.” (Dependent + Independent Clause) Important! When separating independent clauses with a comma, you MUST use a conjunction. Not doing so results in what is known as a comma splice. “We came ready to party, the place was a total sausage fest.” INCORRECT “We came ready to party, but the place was a total sausage fest.” CORRECT 3. Commas follow certain adverbs such as therefore, however, and in fact. 4. To separate parenthetical information (i.e. information that is not essential to the meaning of a sentence): “My roommate, an inconsiderate, boorish degenerate, drank my milk.” 5. To separate adjectives: “The class was an insufferable, boring, perplexing waste of time.” Semicolon: It is sometimes confusing to know when to use a semicolon, but there are really only two purposes for this punctuation: 1. To separate closely related independent clauses that are not conjoined with a conjunction:
  • 2. “I woke up in the snow this morning; I didn’t go to class.” This is one sentence made up of two clauses that could stand on their own as independent sentences, but that are so closely related that they belong in one sentence. Using a semicolon is an excellent way to avoid a comma splice. If you have two independent clauses that are closely related but do not need a conjunction, separate them with a semicolon. 2. To separate items in a list that already contain commas: “At the party I saw Tim, the guy from the pie eating contest; Gertrude, the lady who bakes me chocolate chip cookies; and Pierre, the man of few words with an excellent taste in fashion.” Colon: A colon basically has one general purpose: to inform the reader that what follows the colon in the sentence proves, explains, defines, describes, or lists elements of what came before it. It can be used for lists: “There are three things essential to a student’s success: caffeine, brownnosing, and making stuff up.” It can also be used when you want to put emphasis on the thing that follows the colon: “There is only one thing in the entire world that I care about: using semicolons correctly.”