Transcript Colons and Semicolons

Period 6
•Turn in late work
•Comma practice (Quiz Monday)
•Revise thesis statements (due Monday)
•How to create outline (due Tuesday)
•Notes on colons and semi-colons
Colons and
Semicolons
Five rules for using a colon
Rule 1: use a colon to introduce lists, extra
information, or quotations when preceded
by an independent clause (complete
sentence)
Examples:
1. Barbara gave three reasons why she was
not going: it was stormy, she didn't like loud
music, and she preferred the company of
her cats to us.
2. I finally found the perfect food: chocolate!
More examples:
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3. When Daryl finally appeared, he gave
the definitive answer to the question of
where the lost treasure had been found:
"Nowhere, it never existed."
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4. Glenda Riley notes that the conditions
on the prairie differed for men and
women: “Women's shared
responsibilities, life styles, and
sensibilities constituted a female
frontier....”
Rule 1: Caution
The colon must be preceded by an
independent clause.
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Incorrect example: I bought the toys for:
Janet, Elaine, and George, my cat.
Correct: I bought the toys for Janet,
Elaine, and George, my cat.
Rule 1: Caution
DO NOT use a colon after “include”.
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Incorrect example: There were several important
clauses in the new law, including: the clause to
forbid parking, the clause to mandate that all
doctors be on 24-hour call, and the clause that made
blood donations mandatory.
Correct: There were several important clauses in the
new law, including the clause to forbid parking, the
clause to mandate that all doctors be on 24-hour
call, and the clause that made blood donations
mandatory.
Rule 2
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Use a colon when a second, closely related
independent clause clarifies or elaborates on
the first one.
Examples: The scenario for the crime was
an old one: the butler killed the master in the
library with a candlestick.
Lisa became the woman we thought she
would become: she won an Olympic gold
medal and found a cure for cancer.
Rule 3
3. Use a colon to separate titles and
subtitles.
Example: Wanda read Beneath the
Oceans: A Story of Love and Fish before
it even hit the best-seller list.
Rule 4
Use a colon in business
letter salutations.
Example:
Dear Mr. Tom Welling:
Rule 5
Use a colon to indicate times and ratios.
Examples: Mix the salt with water in a 6:1 ratio.
We arrived at 7:10.
Caution: 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.
Semicolon Rules
THERE ARE ONLY TWO RULES!
RULE 1
Use a semicolon in place of a period to
separate two independent clauses.
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Examples:
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Call me tomorrow; I will give you my
answer then.
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I have paid my dues; therefore, I expect
all the privileges listed in the contract.
Rule 2
Use the semicolon to separate items in
a series when one or more of the items
contain commas. (This is an advanced
version of comma rule 3.)
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Example:
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This conference has people who have
come from Boise, Idaho; Los Angeles,
California; and Nashville, Tennessee.
Period 3
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Turn in any/all revised source notes
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Colon, semicolon, and comma practice
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Quiz Tuesday
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Revise thesis statements
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Essay outline (due Wednesday)