Many people are confused about when to use colons and semicolons in their writing. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these punctuation marks and provide some useful tips.
Colons and semicolons serve different purposes in a sentence, so they should not be used interchangeably. Knowing their proper uses can make your writing more sophisticated and subtle.
What is a Colon?
The colon, sometimes called the large intestine, is the part of the digestive system that moves digested food from the stomach and small intestine into the body. It’s made up of different segments, like the ascending colon (traveling up), the transverse colon (traveling across to the left), and the descending colon (traveling down).
Your colon removes water, salt, and some nutrients from your stool as it travels through the intestines to the anus. It also maintains fluid and electrolyte balance in the body by reabsorbing them.
In grammar, colons are used to introduce things such as lists or items, quotes, and introductions to numbered series, like Bible verses or ratios. But the content preceding a colon must be complete.
What is a Semicolon?
A semicolon is a punctuation mark that can link two complete ideas or signal a break between two independent clauses. It’s sometimes described as a “super-comma” because it creates a pause that’s longer than a comma but shorter than the full stop indicated by a period.
The semicolon can also replace a comma to separate items in a list. This is particularly useful when listing items that contain internal punctuation.
However, it’s important to use a semicolon correctly. Using it incorrectly can make your writing hard to read and understand.
When to Use a Colon
A colon is a punctuation mark that often shows up in short paragraphs. It’s used to introduce new information and set off lists or quotations.
Colon use can be tricky, however, so it’s important to understand what it is and how it is used in grammar. The colon should be used sparingly and only when necessary.
It’s also useful for setting off a book’s subtitle (Outliers: The Story of Success), expressing a numerical ratio (1:1), and communicating a time (4:30 p.m.).
The colon can also be used to introduce a block quotation after an independent clause. It is similar to using a comma, but it doesn’t need quotation marks. See MLA Handbook 1.3.2 for more information on this.
When to Use a Semicolon
A semicolon is a punctuation mark that looks like a period hovering above a comma. It is most often used to join two related independent clauses without using a coordinating conjunction or comma.
It is also useful in avoiding a common grammatical error, a comma splice. A comma splice occurs when you join two independent clauses with a comma instead of a semicolon.
Depending on the situation, it can be used in four different ways:
When to Use a Semicolon
In grammar, the semicolon is most often used to join two independent clauses that could each stand alone as complete sentences. An independent clause is a sentence that expresses a whole thought and contains a subject and predicate.
An independent clause does not have to be long; it can be as short as ‘Jesse ran’ or ‘Lesley cried’. It is not necessary to connect the two with a coordinating conjunction, but it is important that they are related ideas.