Playwright and poet Ben Johnson is credited as the first noble English writer to use the semicolon systematically in his work. He was known for relying heavily on quotes of earlier writers. Many among them were protégés and fans of Manut...
RELATED: How to Use a Semicolon Correctly Here’s a tip:What punctuation should you use when you have multiple options to choose from? When in doubt, let clarity be your guide. Choose the sentence that’s easy to read and unambiguous. LEARN MORE: What Is a Comma Splice? Your writing,...
One reason you might choose to use a semicolon instead of a period is if you wanted to add variety to your sentence structure; for example, you might use a semicolon if you thought you had too many short, choppy sentences in a row. Semicolons Emphasize Relatedness Another reason to use...
At a very basic level, both colons and semicolons help adjust the rhythm of a sentence. This gives the reader an opportunity to pause and the writer a new way to elaborate on a thought or an idea, making a much stronger (and more effective) sentence overall. Of course, the tr...
How to use semicolons and colons to vary your sentence structure One of our personal favorite ways to vary sentence structure is with punctuation. We’re all familiar withcommas and periods, but there are two marks we find particularly helpful in changing up writing: semicolons and colons. ...
1. Semicolons Connect Related Independent Clauses You can use a semicolon to join two closely related independent clauses. Let’s put that another way. The group of words that comes before the semicolon should form a complete sentence, the group of words that comes after the semicolon shou...
8.Writing out times of day: Times of the day will have a colon between the hour and minute, as in the sentence, "We'll leave work at 3:30 p.m. to beat rush hour traffic." 9.Creating a ratio: You can use a colon to create a numeral ratio. For example, three to one can be...
A new, quick way to brush up on basic grammar. Do you join independent clauses with a comma? When is it proper to use a semicolon in a sentence? Anyone who can't answer these questions can benefit from this book. Packed with easy ways to remember important rules and how they apply ...
Use a semicolonto join two related independent clauses in place of a comma and a coordinating conjunction(and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet). Make sure when you use the semicolon that the connection between the two independent clauses is clear without the coordinating conjunction. ...
Semicolons can also be used to join sentences and should be employed when the sentences are related. Consider the following example: I’m a cat person by nature; John, on the other hand, likes dogs. The two independent clauses in the sentence are related to the same topic, so it’s...