Semicolons and Colons
1. Use a colon to introduce noun phrases, lists, quotations and sentences.
2. Subtitles, time of day, Biblical chapter and verse, and salutations in business letters.
Semicolons
SC: semicolons. Use a semicolon to separate statements too distinct for a comma but too closely related for a period. A semicolon separates independent clauses (each with its own subject and verb). The semicolon tells readers to pause but to expect another statement that adds explanation:
COMMA SPLICE: Our losses grew too heavy, we were forced to surrender.
RIGHT: Our losses grew too heavy; we were forced to surrender.
Use a semicolon and a comma when a conjunctive adverb (a word like however, therefore, nevertheless or moreover) joins two clauses. Here however modifies "I failed":
WRONG (COMMA SPLICE): I tried, however, I failed.
WRONG (FUSED SENTENCE): I tried however, I failed.
RIGHT: I tried; however, I failed.
Semicolons can also separate parallel phrases which contain commas. The following sentence would be hard to follow if commas were substituted for the semicolons:
Considering his options on third down, the quarterback looked around the huddle at the left end, who could not catch a ball with a butterfly net; the right end, fat, slow and dim-witted; the slotback, who, after stealing his girl friend, had begun flirting with his sister; and the fullback, whom he suspected of breaking his skateboard; and decided to hand the ball off to skinny, clumsy, terrified me.
SCX: misuse of semicolon. Either repunctuate or rephrase the sentence. Independent clauses (each with its own subject and verb) must come before and after the semicolon:
WRONG: We were forced to surrender; having suffered heavy losses.
RIGHT (REPHRASED): We were forced to surrender; we had suffered heavy losses.
RIGHT (REPUNCTUATED): We were forced to surrender, having suffered heavy losses.
Colons
If your teacher marks "Col" or "Col X," write the rule you violated.
1. Use a colon to introduce noun phrases, lists, quotations and sentences. Unaware of its value, many writers do not use the colon enough.
More formal than a comma or a dash, it acts as an "equals" sign: an indication that what follows it is equivalent to what precedes it. In the examples below, the underlined phrases are equivalent to what follows the colons.
NOUN PHRASE: Napoleon had not prepared for his worst enemy: the harsh Russian winter.
LIST: Four authors tell the story: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
QUOTATION: He told a trite joke: "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
SENTENCE: He was puzzled by a recurring dream: an old blind woman was following him.
Readers can substitute an imaginary that is or namely for a colon.
I am talking to one person: you.
A colon is a good way to introduce quotations, especially longer quotations. The sentence that leads into the quotation must treat the colon as an "equals" sign or an arrow:
Lying on his deathbed, Kurtz utters a breathless cry: "The horror! The horror!" (147).
The poem closes with a question: "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"
2. Subtitles, time of day, Biblical chapter and verse, and salutations in business letters. Use a colon to divide a title from a subtitle, even if the title page of the book does not include one. You need to include subtitles when you compile a bibliography.
Possession: A Romance 7:40 a.m. Revelation 21:2 Dear Madam or Sir:
Col X: misuse. A sentence interrupted with a colon cannot resume after the phrase or quotation the colon introduces. Change the punctuation or restructure the sentence:
WRONG: Kurtz utters a desperate cry: "The horror! The horror!" (147) as he lies dying.
RIGHT: Kurtz utters a desperate cry--"The horror! The horror!" (147)--as he lies dying.
RIGHT: As he lies dying, Kurtz utters a desperate cry: "The horror! The horror!" (147).
Use no colon if a word like including leads into a list:
WRONG: Society faces serious problems, including: crime, poverty, and pollution.
RIGHT: Society faces serious problems, including crime, poverty, and pollution.