Incorrect: I like cows, however, I hate the way they smell. Correct: I like cows; however, I hate the way they smell. The conjunctive adverb however signals a connection between two independent clauses, and commas should not be used to connect independent clauses if there is no coordinating conjunction. Incorrect: I like cows: they give us milk, which tastes good, they give us beef, which also tastes good, and they give us leather, which is used for shoes and coats.
Correct: I like cows: they give us milk, which tastes good; they give us beef, which also tastes good; and they give us leather, which is used for shoes and coats. Incorrect: Cows, though their bovine majesty has been on the wane in recent millennia, are still one of the great species of this planet, domesticated, yet proud, they ruminate silently as we humans pass tumultuously by. Correct: Cows, though their bovine majesty has been on the wane in recent millennia, are still one of the great species of this planet; domesticated, yet proud, they ruminate silently as we humans pass tumultuously by.
I went to the grocery store today; I bought a ton of fruit. Apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale. I bought a ton of fruit; apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale. I went to the grocery store today; I bought a ton of fruit; apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale. But why would I want to use a semicolon here, anyway?
One reason might have to do with style: the three short sentences sound kind of choppy or abrupt. A stronger reason might be if I wanted to emphasize a relationship between two of the sentences. Colons follow independent clauses clauses that could stand alone as sentences and can be used to present an explanation, draw attention to something, or join ideas together. You can use a colon to draw attention to many things in your writing.
We covered many of the fundamentals in our writing class: grammar, punctuation, style, and voice. To join sentences. You can use a colon to connect two sentences when the second sentence summarizes, sharpens, or explains the first. Both sentences should be complete, and their content should be very closely related.
Note that if you use colons this way too often, it can break up the flow of your writing. To express time, in titles, and as part of other writing conventions. Colons appear in several standard or conventional places in writing. Here are a few examples:. Example: Kurlansky, M. Salt: A world history. Example incorrect :The very best peaches are: those that are grown in the great state of Georgia. Not really knowing what to expect, I kinda packed everything: my big, brown, wooly slippers; six pairs of pants: blue, pink, indigo, yellow, a floral explosion, and beige chinos; six tops of various styles and colours - probably none of which go with my pants but I can always go shopping and get more; shoes, shoes, and more shoes!
How many semicolons is too many? English Grammar Punctuation Semicolons. Dec 16, Explanation: It depends on how the semicolons are being used. Semicolons are, in general, used two ways: to link together two clauses in a way that eliminates the breath space of a period, and as a way to separate items in a list where commas are also present Used the first way, I'd say anything more than one semicolon is too many unless you are deliberately creating an atmosphere where you want the reader to not breathe to create tension.
For example, if I write this: I wandered down to the pond out back of my house; the ducks were lined up as if waiting for me; my shotgun lay in the crook of my arm, cold, deadly; dinner tonight was going to be peppered with pellets. Some periods would help define the mood, like this: I wandered down to the pond out back of my house; the ducks were lined up as if waiting for me.
It was a dark and stormy night; a night of crashing skies and lashing rain; the skies opened and poured forth Neptunian waters while Vespian fire flashed across the inky heavens; The feeling I get as I reread what it is that I just wrote is that it's a muddle - there is no pause for reflection, no place for the breath to be. If that is what you want your reader to experience, then go for it!
But be aware that your writing may lose impact because there aren't those places to pause and breathe - that the reader may just shoot across those passages and not experience them simply because the eye is looking for the safe haven of a period. Can I use multiple semicolons in the same sentence as long as they follow the rules for using semicolons?
English Grammar Punctuation Semicolons.
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