Semicolons, colons, Italics, Quotation Marks and Hyphens

1. Semicolons, colons, Italics, Quotation Marks and Hyphens English 11 ACT/MME Prep

2. Use a Semicolon • Between the clauses of a compound sentence if they are NOT joined by a conjunction. These clauses must be closely related. My sister is prize figure skater; she will compete in Tokyo next week. • Between clauses that are joined by certain transitional words and phrases in a compound sentence. These words are accordingly, consequently, for example, for instance, furthermore, however, instead, moreover, nevertheless, otherwise, and therefore.The movie director wanted to start filming; however, the weather prevented her from doing so. • Between the items in a series if the items contain commas. This avoids a confusing number of commas. He presented his book to publishers in Detroit, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; and Helena, Montana.

3. Use a colon • To introduce a list of items. Our English teacher introduced us to the following writers: Mark Twain, Lorraine Hansberry, and Arthur Miller. • After the salutation of a business letter. Dr. Mr. Williams: • To divide hours from minutes 3:01pm • To separate chapter from verse in Biblical references. John 3:22

4. Italics (or an underline) for: • Book titles: To Kill a Mockingbird • Full-length play titles: Death of a Salesman • Long poems: The Odyssey • Magazine title: Sports Illustrated • Newspaper titles: New York Times • Movie titles: Rocky • Television programs: The Tonight Show • Paintings and sculptures: The Last Supper (painting), The Thinker (sculpture) • Ships and planes: USS Intrepid (ship), Air Force One (plane)

5. Quotation marks • Indicate a speaker’s exact words. (Tizzy remarked, “I have lost my appetite.” “I think,” Jeff said, “I will miss him.”) • Indicate exact words from a quoted source. In the play Macbeth, the witches say, “Double, Double toil and trouble.” • Punctuate the titles of songs, poems, short stories, newspaper or magazine articles, a television episode, or a chapter in a book. (Who sings “Cat’s in the Cradle”?) • Emphasize a specific word. I have heard him say “yowza” about a hundred times.

6. Punctuating Quotation Marks • Place periods and commas inside the quotation marks. Mark said, “I want ice cream.” “I want ice cream,” said Mark. • If a question mark or an exclamation mark punctuates a quotation, the mark belongs inside the quotation marks. His sister asked, “May I go with you?” • If the question mark or exclamation mark punctuates the main sentence, place it outside. Was it Romeo who said, “I am fortune’s fool”? • Semicolons and colons should be placed outside the quotation marks. Our speaker concluded with the famous line: “To thine own self be true.”

7. Use a hyphen: • To separate parts of certain compound nouns. Example: She is the editor-in-chief of the magazine. • Between two words that comprise a single adjective only when the adjective precedes the noun it modifies. Example: The bramble-covered path was not a popular one for the tourists. • You do not have to use a hyphen if the first word of the two-word adjective ends in –ly.

8. Use a hyphen: • When writing out the numbers twenty-one to ninety-nine inclusive. Example: There are fifty-five people wanting to see this movie. • To syllabicate words at the end of the line of typing or writing. Divide words of two or more syllables only between syllables. Single-syllable words should not be divided.