Punctuation: Using Colons, Semicolons and Periods

Introduction

In the English language, punctuation is crucial. It demands the placement of tiny, often scarcely perceptible markers at the right places to accurately denote the precise length and content of the phrase.

English writing demands the use of proper punctuation. A punctuation enables the reader to comprehend the text's meaning and an author's main point. To make your written material coherent and understandable, proper punctuation is a crucial tool.

Let us look at three of the most important punctuation marks in English: Colons, Semicolons, and Period.

Colons

A colon is used to emphasise, begin lists of text, provide conversation, and define composition titles.

Let’s look at each of these points in detail.

• Emphasis − Capitalise the first word following the colon if it begins a complete sentence or is a proper noun.

  For example - Ravi had a strange loyalty towards his alma mater: The University of Hyderabad.

• Dialogue − Write the speaker's name, a colon, then their sentence in dialogue.

  For example - Manmohan Singh: We want to make India a global economic superpower.

• Introduce any text, lists, or tabular material − Only capitalise the first word following the colon if it is a proper noun or the first word of a complete phrase.

  For example - Our future depends on three factors: sustainability, variety, and building our capacity and well-being.

• Provide clarification on the titles of books, seminars, and other works −

  In titles that represent two simultaneous concepts, a colon should be used. The sentences on either side of the colon ought to be complete sentences.

  For example - Anand Sharma wrote his book "Understanding English Grammar: A Simple Textbook for Complex Problems," to address the concerns of English Language learners.

Common Errors with Colons

Let’s look at some of the common errors with colons.

• Placing a colon between a verb and its complement or object

  The very best peaches are: those that are grown in the great state of Georgia.

  Simply take out the colon to make this proper. The very best peaches are those that are grown in the great state of Georgia.

• Placing a colon between an object and a preposition

  My favourite cake is made of: carrots, flour, butter, eggs, and cream cheese icing.

  The sentence is correct when you remove the colon.

  My favourite cake is made of carrots, flour, butter, eggs, and cream cheese icing.

• Adding a colon to sentences that contain "such as," "including," "particularly," and related words.

  This goes against the requirement that the sentence before the colon include a full notion.

  Take a look at the following example −

  There are many different types of paper, including: college ruled, wide ruled, and plain copy paper.

  This sentence would have read perfectly good without the colon.

Semicolons

It can be helpful to remember what the semicolon does as it resembles a comma with a period above it. Thoughts are more clearly separated by a semicolon than by a comma, but not as clearly as by a period.

Frequent Applications of Semicolons

Here are the semicolon's two most frequent applications −

• To aid in list item separation when commas are already present in some of the list items.

To further comprehend this use of the semicolon, let's look at an example.

If one wants to mention three things, they purchased from the grocery store −

Apples/grapes/pears

One can use commas to demarcate each of the following in a sentence −

I got pears, grapes, and apples.

Now imagine that the three things one wants to mention are described in sentences that already have commas in them −

ripe, glossy apples

firm pears, tiny, delicious, juicy grapes.

In that case, the phrase might seem as follows if commas are used to divide these clauses −

I purchased firm pears, petite, sweet, juicy grapes, and bright, ripe apples.

It is difficult to tell how many things are in the list or which words should be grouped together in that middle section, which lacks numerous visual indicators. The semicolon can be useful in this situation.

The semicolons in between items can be "bumped up" a notch so that readers can quickly determine how many things are in the list and which words go together −

I chose tiny, delicious, juicy grapes; sturdy pears; and beautiful, ripe apples.

• To combine two sentences

An independent clause is a sequence of words that functions as a full sentence and can be read separately. Two independent clauses can be separated by semicolons. We can readily distinguish which thoughts belong to which phrase by using the semicolon, which acts somewhat similarly to a period. However, it also implies that there could be a tighter connection between the two phrases than what you might anticipate if there were a comma.

Let's examine some illustrations. A few excellent independent clauses that may be read as whole sentences on their own are as follows −

Today, I visited the supermarket. I purchased a tonne of fruit. There were pears, apples, and grapes for sale.

Now, where do semicolons come into this? Two of the independent clauses (but not all three) might be combined using them. So, either of the following sentence pairs would be acceptable −

I went shopping today and purchased a tonne of fruit. Pears, apples, and grapes were all on sale.

OR

Today, I visited the supermarket. I purchased a tonne of fruits; pears, apples, and grapes were all discounted.

Periods

The punctuation symbol known as a period, or "full stop" in British English, resembles a little circle or dot. It follows the preceding character immediately and without a space at the end of a line of text.

Periods signify a clear break. The period in written English corresponds to the little pause that occurs between sentences while speaking English. When compared to other punctuation markers like a comma or semicolon, the pause created by a period is more noticeable and significant.

A period is mostly used to indicate the conclusion of sentences, but it may also be used to indicate words that have been abbreviated or information that has been omitted. Additionally, it has a special purpose in arithmetic and computers as the "dot" in "dot com."

When to Put a Period

• Sentence ends − Sentences are most often ended with periods. When a sentence is punctuated in this manner, the period is put just after the letter that ends the last word.

  Typically, the first letter of the next phrase after a period is capital −

  It is raining outside.

• Declarative sentences must conclude with a period − Simple statement-making is what constitutes a declarative sentence.

  The grass is green.

• Depending on the emotion being expressed, an urgent phrase could be punctuated with either a period or an exclamation mark.

  For example - A fire extinguisher is needed.

  Bring a fire extinguisher over here! (The request is being made with emotion or urgency.)

  The exclamation point may be used in place of the period when an interjection expresses intense emotion −

  Wow! Incredible performance, I must say.

• Abbreviations − Periods are a common part of acronyms.

  For example –

  Dr. and Main St. are both abbreviation for the titles Doctor and Main, respectively.

  Lt. Col. is a common abbreviation for the title of Lieutenant Colonel.

Conclusion

To make our words apparent when we talk, we employ pauses and the tone of our voices. Similar to this, punctuation facilitates reading in writing.

Both rules and conventions apply to punctuation. While there are punctuation patterns that provide authors more freedom, there are other punctuation standards that must be obeyed.