Colons, and Semicolons, and Bears!
by Tina Blue
August 17, 2000
Writers frequently misuse semicolons and colons. This article presents the basic rules governing the colon and the semicolon.
I have set off each rule (and its examples) by drawing a line beneath it, before beginning to explain the next rule. I understand that most people do not want to read long articles about grammar and usage, so I have broken this down into bite-sized pieces. You can tackle the explanations all at once, or read only one section at a time, as the spirit moves you.
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~ I. A SEMICOLON IS END-STOP PUNCTUATION. Treat a semicolon as if it were a weak period, not a strong comma. Do not use a semicolon where you would not use a period. There are a couple of rare exceptions to this rule (which I will show you below), but count it as at least a "98% rule."* Using a semicolon as a "comma" almost always creates a semicolon fragment.
EXAMPLE (Incorrect):
~The child took both a golden dandelion and a dandelion puffball to her mother; asking in turn what each flower was called, and reacting with disbelief when her mother insisted that both were dandelions.
In this "sentence," the unit following the semicolon is a compound participial phrase, not even a clause. Therefore, the unit following the semicolon is a fragment, just as it would be if the two parts of the sentence were separated by a period rather than a semicolon.
EXAMPLE (Correct):
~The child took both a golden dandelion and a dandelion puffball to her mother, asking in turn what each flower was called, and reacting in disbelief when her mother insisted that both were dandelions.
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*"98% rule": When I say that something is a "90-95% rule," or an "85% rule," or a "98% rule," etc., I am making those numbers up--sort of. I don't mean that I just pull those numbers out of a hat. Rather, I am drawing on my own knowledge and experience to offer an estimate of how often the rule actually applies. If I call something a "98% rule," then you can assume you will seldom, perhaps never, have to make a judgment call on whether that rule should be applied. If, on the other hand, I say it is only an "85% rule," then you are much more likely to find yourself in a situation where you have to decide whether your sentence is an exception to the rule.
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~ II. Once a colon is used to set off an element in your sentence, you must end the sentence with that element. You cannot "pick up" the main part of the sentence again after you have finished with the set-off element.
EXAMPLE (Incorrect):
~If you remember these three rules: fix or replace what you break, return what you borrow, and put away what you take out, then you will develop a reputation for being responsible and trustworthy.
The list set off by the colon would have to end the sentence.
However, if you ended this sentence there, it would still be wrong, because it would be a sentence fragment. The list is part of a dependent clause, and there would be no main (or independent) clause in this sentence without the rest of the "If . . . then" construction.
EXAMPLE (Still incorrect, because of ambiguity created by confusing commas):
~If you remember these three rules, fix or replace what you break, return what you borrow, and put away what you take out, then you will develop a reputation for being responsible and trustworthy.
EXAMPLE (Correct and not ambiguous):
~You will develop a reputation for being responsible and trustworthy if you remember these three rules: fix or replace what you break, return what you borrow, and put away what you take out.
Notice that in this version of the sentence, I go back to setting off the list with a colon, but I shift the last part of the sentence to the beginning so that I can let the sentence end with the list that follows the colon. (Sometimes you have to be willing to restructure a sentence to avoid certain kinds of errors.)
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~III. The unit on the left side of a colon must be a complete clause, though it can be either an independent or a dependent clause.
EXAMPLE (Incorrect):
~The items you need to bring are: a toothbrush, a hairbrush, a change of clothes, and a swimsuit.
Without the subject complement (in this case, the list of objects), the clause to the left of the colon is incomplete. You could not write, "The items you need to bring are."
EXAMPLE (Incorrect):
~You need to bring: a toothbrush, a hairbrush, a change of clothes, and a swimsuit.
Without the direct object for the verb "bring," the clause is incomplete. You could not write, "You need to bring."
EXAMPLES (Correct):
~The items you need to bring are a toothbrush, a hairbrush, a change of clothes, and a swimsuit.
or
~You need to bring the following items: a toothbrush, a hairbrush, a change of clothes, and a swimsuit.
Notice that in the second version the clause on the left side of the colon is complete, in the sense that the verb has its direct object. It is not like writing, "You need to bring."
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SITUATIONS WHERE SEMICOLONS FUNCTION LIKE COMMAS:
~I. When items in a series contain their own internal commas, then you should use a semicolon to separate them, in order to avoid confusion about where one item ends and the next begins. This rule is especially applicable when the items in the series are set off by a colon.
EXAMPLE (Confusing):
~Try to remember these three dates: August 18, 1950, November 10, 1979, June 12, 1981.
EXAMPLE (Improved):
~Try to remember these three dates: August 18, 1950; November 10, 1979; June 12, 1981.
~II. When the items in a series are long and complicated--especially when they contain internal commas--you may need the extra power of a semicolon to separate them.
EXAMPLE (Confusing):
~When the committee met last week, they were determined to solve the budget problems that have plagued the agency all year, to streamline procedures for monitoring subcontractors' performance, for addressing subcontractors' complaints, and for getting subcontractors to submit their reports in a timely manner, and also to begin interviewing candidates to replace the director, Dr. Waters, who will be retiring in May, after serving six years in that position.
EXAMPLE (Improved):
~When the committee met last week, they were determined to solve the budget problems that have plagued the agency all year; to streamline procedures for monitoring subcontractors' performance, for addressing subcontractors' complaints, and for getting subcontractors to submit their reports in a timely manner; and also to begin interviewing candidates to replace the director, Dr. Waters, who will be retiring in May, after serving six years in that position.
Of course, if you write sentences that pompous and boring, no one will want to read them anyway. Still, if you end up in position where you have to write like a bureaucrat, it's nice to know how to punctuate these elephantine monstrosities.
By the way, many people believe that such a long sentence must be a run-on sentence. It isn't. All of its elements are properly embedded, and in the second version all ambiguity is banished. The second version is perfectly correct. It's just ugly.
