Colons and Semicolons

1. Colons and Semicolons : ;

2. Colons • To introduce a list AFTER a complete sentence. • I need to pack for my camping trip. I will take: a tent, a stove, some clothes and food. • To introduce a quotation or direct speech. • Brian said: “I should have remembered that it was my Mum’s birthday.”

3. Colons Continued • In play scripts, colons follow the speaker’s name. So they introduce dialogue. • Juliet: Oh Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? • When expressing time in numbers. • 14:27 (27 minutes after 2pm)

4. Colons Continued • Separate two parts of a sentence. This happens when the second sentence explains or gives more information about the first sentence OR when it is the opposite in meaning. • The garden was a complete mess: everything was dying or dead. • The sun shone brightly: it was bitterly cold.

5. Semicolons • To separate two independent clauses in a single sentence which are closely related. • In spite of her cold, my grandmother refuses to go to bed early; she is afraid she will miss something. • To separate items on a list where items already have commas included. • I want to take: A two person tent, just for me; my most comfortable boots, which are at the repair shop and food for a week.

6. Insert the colon or the semicolon in the correct place in these sentences • John ate his dinner a mountain of mashed potatoes, lamb chops and peas. • Isabella is great at sports she plays badminton, tennis and hockey. • It’s 1144 exactly. • Stephen asked “Would you like fries with that?”

7. A winter’s day is all freezing fingers and toes but it’s all warm fires and hot toast too. • Julia left a message on the answer phone she forgot to leave her name and number unfortunately. • This afternoon I ate six pink fluffy sticky marshmallows, seven different coloured jellybeans and a piece of broccoli.