One thing I notice a lot while editing, but also through reading other people’s blogs, websites, etc. is that a lot of people seem to be confused about when the right time to use a semicolon vs. a colon is. Though the colon and semicolon might seem similar or confusing, once you learn and understand the rules of both, you will never make that mistake again.
A colon is used after a complete statement. They are usually used when creating a list, for example it is correct to say, “Emily enjoys school but there are two subjects she will never enjoy: science and math.” One way we could tell that the colon was used correctly there is by taking away ‘science and math’ from the sentence. Since we are still left with a full complete sentence, we can tell that the colon was used correctly. Another way to tell is by replacing the colon with words like ‘specifically,’ ‘namely,’ or ‘such as’ and seeing if the sentence still makes sense. Unlike a colon, a semicolon is used to join two ideas that could stand alone on their own. For example, using the sentence above, if we separate the part before the colon and the part after the colon we are left with: “Emily enjoys school but there are two subjects she will never enjoy,” and “Science and math.” The first sentence makes sense and can stand on its own, however the second sentence cannot. In fact, it’s not even a complete sentence at all. This is how you know that a semicolon cannot be used here, because these are not two separate ideas, one relies on the other to make sense. An example of a sentence using a semicolon correctly would be: I’m allergic to nuts; I’ll have to bring my own dessert.” If you separate what’s before the semicolon from what’s after it, both sentences still make sense and can stand on their own. Using the semicolon connects the two clauses.
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