Correct : Sarah and her friends loved spending time on the mountain ; nature always held a special meaning for them. Use a semi-colon if the information in the second clause is somewhat related but does not illustrate, explain, or paraphrase the first clause.
The colon is a powerful punctuation mark and should be used sparingly. Pay attention to this. This is important. This is the same effect colons can have upon readers. Because colons are so attention-grabbing, they can clearly indicate which information is important. For this reason, many authors use colons to introduce their main argument or supporting evidence.
A semicolon is used to separate two ideas two independent clauses that are closely related. They can also be used when listing complex ideas or phrases that use commas within them. Essentially, a semicolon is like a comma with more meaning or a colon with more flexibility. The universe has always called to human beings ; there could be no more final frontier than space.
Sam thought David was inviting him to the picnic to enjoy a nice day out ; as it turned out, David was planning a surprise birthday party.
My main research objective is to isolate the cause of the disease, as well as to contribute to the existing literature ; for this will bring an end to starvation across the continent, create new study designs related to epidemiology, and change the very paradigm of my research field.
Incorrect : The specimens were treated properly , however, they were not stored properly. Correct : The specimens were treated properly ; however, they were not stored properly. Example with an independent clause, showing two different approaches to capitalization: The commercials had one message: The geeks shall inherit the earth. The first thing to know when talking about dashes is that they are almost never required by the laws of grammar and punctuation.
To set off material for emphasis. Think of dashes as the opposite of parentheses. Where parentheses indicate that the reader should put less emphasis on the enclosed material, dashes indicate that the reader should pay more attention to the material between the dashes. Dashes add drama—parentheses whisper. Dashes can be used for emphasis in several ways: A single dash can emphasize material at the beginning or end of a sentence.
Example: After eighty years of dreaming, the elderly man realized it was time to finally revisit the land of his youth—Ireland. Two dashes can emphasize material in the middle of a sentence. Some style and grammar guides even permit you to write a complete sentence within the dashes. Example: Everything I saw in my new neighborhood—from the graceful elm trees to the stately brick buildings—reminded me of my alma mater.
Example complete sentence : The students—they were each over the age of eighteen—lined up in the streets to vote for the presidential candidates. Two dashes can emphasize a modifier.
Words or phrases that describe a noun can be set off with dashes if you wish to emphasize them. To indicate sentence introductions or conclusions. You can sometimes use a dash to help readers see that certain words are meant as an introduction or conclusion to your sentence.
Example: Books, paper, pencils—many students lacked even the simplest tools for learning in nineteenth-century America. Example: To improve their health, Americans should critically examine the foods that they eat—fast food, fatty fried foods, junk food, and sugary snacks. But when the phrase itself already contains one or more commas, dashes can help readers understand the sentence.
Slightly confusing example with commas: Even the simplest tasks, washing, dressing, and going to work, were nearly impossible after I broke my leg. Identifying him by name is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Is it U. Co-worker or coworker? Though these examples implicate punctuation marks the use or omission of periods, hyphens, or apostrophes , the correct form can be easily determined with a good dictionary.
The easiest way to solve a vexing punctuation problem is to avoid it. Perhaps as more than one sentence. Example She nonchalantly told us she would be spending her birthday in Venice Italy, not California. Example The hastily arranged meeting came on the heels of less-than-stellar earnings.
Semicolon Only a third of Americans have a passport; the majority of Canadians have a passport. Colon Only a third of Americans have a passport: for most, foreign travel is either undesirable or unaffordable. Take the Quick Self-Test to identify the common punctuation mistakes you may encounter in your writing. Follow the links included in the answers to the quiz questions to learn more about how to correct or avoid each punctuation mistake. If you prefer, you may review the entire punctuation section.
Quick Self-Test.
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