Languages & Linguistics
Semicolons
Semicolons are punctuation marks used to separate independent clauses within a sentence. They can also be used to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas. Semicolons help to create a clear and organized structure in writing, allowing for more complex sentence constructions and enhancing readability.
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eBook - ePub- Graham King(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Collins(Publisher)
The history of the semicolon and colon is one of confusion. There are no precise rules governing their use. Many writers argue that both marks are really stylistic rather than parenthetical devices which can easily be replaced by commas, stops and dashes. And there the argument rests.We have previously seen how the judicious use of full stops to achieve shorter sentences can aid understanding, and that is certainly the case here. But some writers, feeling that the original long sentence is, after all, about a single subject and should therefore be kept as a whole and not split apart, would turn to the semicolon to achieve unity of thought without making things hard for the reader:The history of the semicolon and colon is one of confusion; there are no precise rules governing their use; many writers argue that both marks are really stylistic rather than parenthetical devices and that they can easily be replaced by commas, stops and dashes; and there the argument rests.• To separate word groups already containing commas. Any sentence that is essentially a list should be crystal clear and easily read. Most ‘sentence lists‘ adequately separate the items with commas, but sometimes the items themselves are groups containing commas and require Semicolons for clarity. These two examples illustrate just how handy Semicolons can be:Those present included Mr and Mrs Allison, their daughters Sarah, Megan and Sue; the Smith twins; Reg and Paul Watson; Joyce, Helen and Bill Hobson; etc. The line-up consisted of Bix Beiderbecke, cornet; Al Grande, trombone; George Johnson, tenor sax; Bob Gillette, banjo; Dick Voynow, piano, and Vic Moore on drums.
- Cheryl Glenn, Loretta Gray(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
In addition, Semicolons and colons each have unique uses. This chapter will help you uni25A0 use Semicolons correctly ( 38a ) and uni25A0 use colons correctly ( 38b ). 38a THE S EMICOLON The semicolon indicates that the phrases or clauses on either side of it are closely related. It most frequently connects two independent clauses when the second clause supports or contrasts with the first, but it can e e be used for other purposes as well. o fo (1) Connecting independent clauses A semicolon placed between two independent clauses indicates that they are closely related. The second of the two clauses generally sup -ports or contrasts with the first. For many cooks, basil is a key ingredient ; it appears in recipes worldwide. [support] S weet basil is used in many Mediterranean dishes ; Thai basil is used in Asian and East Indian recipes. [contrast] Although and, but , and similar words can signal these kinds of relation -ships, consider using an occasional semicolon for variety. Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-300 ; 38a 707 Sometimes, a transitional expression such as for example or however ( 24c(5) ) accompanies a semicolon and further establishes the exact relationship between the ideas in the linked clauses. Basil is omnipresent in the cuisine of some countries ; for example, Italians use basil in salads, soups, and many vegetable dishes. The culinary uses of basil are well known ; however, this herb also has medicinal uses. A comma is usually inserted after a transitional word, but it can be omitted if doing so will not lead to a misreading. Because basil comes from a Greek word meaning “king,” it suggests l l royalty ; indeed some cooks accord basil royal status among herbs. (2) Separating elements that contain commas In a series of phrases or clauses (chapter 22 ) that contain commas, semi -colons indicate where each phrase or clause ends and the next begins.
- Cheryl Glenn, Loretta Gray(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
(1) Connecting independent clauses A semicolon placed between two independent clauses indicates that they are closely related. The second of the two clauses generally supports or contrasts with the first. ➤ For many cooks, basil is a key ingredient ; it appears in recipes worldwide. [support] ➤ Sweet basil is used in many Mediterranean dishes ; Thai basil is used in Asian and East Indian recipes. [contrast] Sometimes, a transitional expression such as for example ( 3d(4) ) or an adverbial conjunction such as however ( 17a(7) ) accompanies a semicolon and further establishes the relation-ship between the ideas. ➤ Basil is omnipresent in the cuisine of some countries ; for example , Italians use basil in salads, soups, and many veg-etable dishes. ➤ The culinary uses of basil are well known ; however , this herb also has medicinal uses. The Semicolon and the Colon 32 Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. 378 32a The Semicolon and the Colon EXERCISE 32.1 Revise the following sentences, using Semicolons to separate inde-pendent clauses or elements that contain internal commas. 1. Soccer is a game played by two opposing teams on a rectangular field, each team tries to knock a ball, roughly twenty-eight inches in circumference, through the opponent’s goal. 2. The game is called soccer only in Canada and the United States, elsewhere it is known as football .
- Cheryl Glenn, Loretta Gray(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
o fo (1) Connecting independent clauses A semicolon placed between two independent clauses indicates that they are closely related. The second of the two clauses generally sup- ports or contrasts with the first. For many cooks, basil is a key ingredient; it appears in recipes worldwide. [support] Sweet basil is used in many Mediterranean dishes; Thai basil is used in Asian and East Indian recipes. [contrast] Although and, but, and similar words can signal these kinds of relation , and similar words can signal these kinds of relation - ships, consider using an occasional semicolon for variety. Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-300 ; 38a 707 Sometimes, a transitional expression such as for example or or however (24c(5)) accompanies a semicolon and further establishes the exact relationship between the ideas in the linked clauses. Basil is omnipresent in the cuisine of some countries; for example, Italians use basil in salads, soups, and many vegetable dishes. The culinary uses of basil are well known; however, this herb also has medicinal uses. A comma is usually inserted after a transitional word, but it can be omitted if doing so will not lead to a misreading. Because basil comes from a Greek word meaning “king,” it suggests l comes from a Greek word meaning “king,” it suggests l royalty; indeed some cooks accord basil royal status among herbs. some cooks accord basil royal status among herbs. (2) Separating elements that contain commas In a series of phrases or clauses (chapter 22) that contain commas, semi- colons indicate where each phrase or clause ends and the next begins. In the following sentence, the Semicolons help the reader distinguish three separate phrases. To survive, mountain lions need a large area in which to range; a steady supply of deer, skunks, raccoons, foxes, and opossums; and the opportunity to find a mate, establish a den, and raise a litter.
eBook - PDF- Cheryl Glenn, Loretta Gray(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
This chapter will help you understand that Semicolons uni25A0 link closely related independent clauses (14a) and uni25A0 separate parts of a sentence containing internal commas (14b) but uni25A0 do not connect independent clauses to phrases or dependent clauses (14c). 14a Connecting independent clauses A semicolon placed between two independent clauses indicates that they are closely related. The second of the two clauses generally supports or contrasts with the first. For many cooks, basil is a key ingredient; it appears in recipes worldwide. [support] Sweet basil is used in many Mediterranean dishes; Thai basil is used in Asian and East Indian recipes. [contrast] Although and, but, and similar words can signal these kinds of relationships, consider using an occasional semicolon for variety. Sometimes, a transitional expression such as for example or however ( 3c(5) ) accompanies a semicolon and further The Semicolon ht 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02 ; 14b 177 establishes the exact relationship between the ideas in the linked clauses. Basil is omnipresent in the cuisine of some countries; for example, Italians use basil in salads, soups, and many vegetable dishes. The culinary uses of basil are well known; however, this herb also has medicinal uses. A comma is usually inserted after a transitional word, but it can be omitted if doing so will not lead to a misreading. Because basil comes from a Greek word meaning “king,” it l l suggests royalty; indeed some cooks accord basil royal status d d among herbs. 14b Separating elements that contain commas In a series of phrases or clauses (1e and 1f ) that contain com- mas, Semicolons indicate where each phrase or clause ends and the next begins. In the following sentence, the Semicolons help the reader distinguish three separate phrases.
No longer available |Learn more- Laurie Kirszner, Stephen Mandell(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
I have visited Laramie, Wyoming ● ; Wyoming, Delaware ● ; and Delaware, Ohio. EXERCISE 50.2 Replace commas with Semicolons where necessary to separate internally punctuated items in a series. Example: Luxury automobiles have some strong selling points: they are ; ; status symbols, / some, such as the Corvette, appreciate in value, / ^ ^ and they are usually comfortable and well appointed. 1. The history of modern art seems at times to be a collection of “isms”: Impressionism, a term that applies to painters who attempted to depict contemporary life by reproducing an “impression” of what the eye sees, Abstract Expressionism, which applies to artists who stress emotion and the unconscious in their nonrepresentational works, and, more recently, Minimalism, which applies to painters and sculptors whose work reasserts the physical reality of the object. 2. Some of the most commonly confused words in English are aggravate , which means “to worsen,” and irritate , which means “to annoy,” continual , which means “recurring at intervals,” and continuous , which means “an action occurring without interruption,” imply , which means Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-300 Editing Misused Semicolons ● ; 50c 553 “to hint, suggest,” and infer , which means “to conclude from,” and compliment , which means “to praise,” and complement , which means “to complete or add to.” 3. Tennessee Williams wrote The Glass Menagerie , which is about Laura Wingfield, a disabled young woman, and her family, A Streetcar Named Desire , which starred Marlon Brando, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , which won a Pulitzer Prize. 50c Editing Misused Semicolons Do not use Semicolons in the following situations. 1 Between a Phrase and a Clause Use a comma, not a semicolon, between a phrase and a clause. , Increasing rapidly; / computer crime poses a challenge for business and ^ government.
eBook - PDFGrammar By Diagram - Second Edition
Understanding English Grammar Through Traditional Sentence Diagraming
- Cindy L. Vitto(Author)
- 2006(Publication Date)
- Broadview Press(Publisher)
35. Answering the telephone Clark carried on a conversation while he played a com-puter game. see answer key, p. 436 Semicolon Rules The semicolon takes the place of either a period or a comma. Here are the three situations that call for a semicolon: 1. Use a semicolon in a compound sentence, to separate two independent clauses that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction. This use of the semicolon requires two inde-pendent clauses with so logical a connection that no conjunction or transition is necessary. In this case the semicolon is taking the place of a period, but the writer has decided that a period would unnecessarily slow down and separate the clauses. I heard a loud knock at midnight; I cautiously opened the door. Often, of course, the semicolon precedes a conjunctive adverb that does make the connection between the clauses explicit. I opened the door; however , I could see nothing when I turned on the light. We also use the semicolon as a substitute for a comma, a “super-comma” that has been elevated in status to semicolon in order to clarify the connections among the various pieces of the sen-tence. This usually occurs in the two following situations, both of which involve sentences with at least a few commas so that a semicolon is needed to distinguish major breaking points in the sentences. 2. Use a semicolon to separate two independent clauses joined by a coordinating con-junction but containing other commas. In this case, the comma that usually precedes the coordinating conjunction is “crowned” as a semicolon to indicate the most important pause in the sentence, the one between independent clauses. Although there is no hard and fast rule about just how many commas are required to transform the comma in question into a semicolon, most writers require at least three or four commas before they put this rule into practice. A safe guide-286 ] GRAMMAR BY DIAGRAM
eBook - PDFScientific English
A Guide for Scientists and Other Professionals
- Robert A. Day, Nancy Sakaduski(Authors)
- 2011(Publication Date)
- Greenwood(Publisher)
19 Punctuation For most of us, punctuation is not an aesthetic challenge but a practical housekeeping problem: We engage it only long enough to keep things straight. And yet, deployed carefully and sensitively, commas, colons, and Semicolons can make our sentences not only clear but even a bit stylish. Good punctuation won’t turn a monotone into the Hallelujah Chorus, but a bit of care can produce gratifying results. —Joseph M. Williams THE MARKS AND THEIR MEANING Punctuation is easy. Compared with grammar and its profusion of rules, most of them outmoded if not outright wrong, punctuation has a number of clear, simple rules. They work, and they are easy to learn if you try. (These suggested rules are briefly listed in Appendix 1.) Professor Williams (quoted in the epigraph) says that punctuation is “house- keeping.” Here’s a different metaphor, although it doesn’t have a Hallelujah Chorus: Think of words as an almost endless movement of automobiles along roads, through intersections, entering into hospital and school zones, and need- ing a great many signals to avoid collisions, traffic jams, and potential mishaps of many kinds. Now think of punctuation marks as a set of traffic lights and road signs, which, if well designed and well placed, will keep traffic moving smoothly along the highway of writing. Some signs will say “stop.” Others will say “slow down.” Still others will indicate, in a variety of ways, how to drive safely through the sentences of our writing. English has only 13 punctuation marks. If you try, you can learn the rules for using each. If you then apply these rules, your words and sentences will flow smoothly and deliver your passengers (readers) safely to their destination: the meaning of what you are writing. PERIODS A period is to let the writer know he has finished his thought, and he should stop there if he will only take the hint. —Art Linkletter A period is used to indicate the end of every sentence that is not a question or an exclamation.
No longer available |Learn more- Laurie Kirszner, Stephen Mandell(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
/ / (compound subject) Many nontraditional students are returning to college, / and tend to do well there. (compound predicate) 6 Before a Dependent Clause at the End of a Sentence Jane Addams founded Hull House in 1889, 9, / because she , , / / , , , , wanted to help Chicago’s poor. Using Semicolons 29 C H A P T E R The semicolon only between items of equal gram is used o -pendent clauses, two phrases, and matical rank: two indep so on. 29a Separating Independent Clauses Use a semicolon between closely related independent clauses that convey parallel or contrasting information but are not joined by a coordinating conjunction. ight 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 0 E diting Misused Semicolons uni25CF ; 29c 303 Paul Revere’s The Boston Massacre is an early example of American protest art uni25CF ; Edward Hicks’s later “primi-uni25CF uni25CF tive” paintings are socially conscious art with a religious strain. Using only a comma or no punctuation at all between independent clauses creates a run-on . Also use a semicolon between two independent clauses when the second clause is introduced by a transitional word or phrase (the transitional element is followed by a comma). Thomas Jefferson brought two hundred vanilla beans and a recipe for vanilla ice cream back from France uni25CF uni25CF uni25CF thus, he gave America its all-time favorite ice cream flavor. 29b Separating Items in a Series Use Semicolons between items in a series when one or more of the items already include commas. I have visited Laramie, Wyoming uni25CF ; Wyoming, Delaware uni25CF uni25CF uni25CF uni25CF uni25CF and Delaware, Ohio. 29c Editing Misused Semicolons Do not use Semicolons in the following situations. 1 Between a Dependent and an Independent Clause Because drugs can now suppress the body’s immune , reaction; / ^ fewer organ transplants are rejected.
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