Rules for English Punctuation - The Colon and Semi Colon
To some non English speakers the whole concept of the colon and the semi colon may seem an enigma, a puzzle. For many native English speakers it is also a puzzle, so if you are not sure where or when to use a colon or semi colon, then rest assured, you are not alone.
The colon is written thus:
The semi colon is the dot with a comma;
They are used to demonstrate breaks in a sentence or to give a sentence an added meaning or context. The colon is the most powerful: the semi is less so.
Colons or semi colons can be used in a place where a comma would normally sit, but you want to give your writing a bit more emphasis or more of a pause. So you could say:
“Man is human, God is divine”. But in this context, you are actually making a statement, an important statement, so it would be more fitting to write
“Man is human: God is divine”. Through the use of the colon you have changed the statement to have much more authority and it gives the sentence an added meaning and weight.
The semi colon is used similarly but where you might want the emphasis to be more than a comma, but less than a colon.
A colon may also be used where you have two very different statements following each other, for example “Men laugh: women cry.” The colon here breaks up each part and gives them equal weighting.
Given the complexities of colons and semi colons, an online grammar checker or punctuation checker can be used as a way of helping you get a feel for when it is correct to use them.
Do you like the content on PunctuationTips.net, and want more? If you are looking for useful tips and lessons on English grammar, visit GrammarTips.net, or on English punctuation, visit SpellingTips.net . If you are looking for ways to improve your Business English, visit BusinessWritingTips.net. If you are an ESL student, or looking to learn English as a second language online, then visit ESLTips.net for lots of useful articles!
If you found this post interesting, please bookmark it:
If you found this post interesting, please bookmark it:
