How to use Colons & Semicolons

Colons (:), semicolons (;), and dashes (-) can all be used to join two related ideas.  Using these punctuation marks properly will help to add variety to your comparisons.

Colon

Use a colon to draw attention to the words that come after it.  These words may be a list, or a restatement or description of something before the colon.  The words before the colon must be a complete thought.

• WRONG: Someday sloppy people will make a family scrapbook containing: newspaper clippings, postcards, locks of hair, and the dried corsage from their senior prom.
• RIGHT: Someday sloppy people will make a family scrapbook containing the following: newspaper clippings, postcards, locks of hair, and the dried corsage from their senior prom.

Use a semicolon to indicate that two main clauses (sentences) are closely related.

• Not a paper will go unturned; not a rubber band will go unboxed.

**What comes after the colon does not have to be a complete clause, but what comes after a semicolon does.

Semicolon

Use a semicolon before adverbs like however, nevertheless, moreover, therefore, in fact, or for example, but not before coordinating conjunctions (and, or, nor, for, but, so, yet); since the conjunction already brings together the two clauses it joins, the use of the semicolon is excessive.

• Sloppy people live in Never-Never Land; for example, they swear that someday they will go through their wardrobes, but they never, never will.

**A dash could replace the colon or semicolon; however, use dashes sparingly, when you want to place extra emphasis on particular words.  They encourage disjointed writing and are not as precise as a colon or semicolon.