Semicolon
This document was uploaded by user and they confirmed that they have the permission to share it. If you are author or own the copyright of this book, please report to us by using this DMCA report form. Report DMCA
Overview
Download & View Semicolon as PDF for free.
More details
- Words: 572
- Pages: 14
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Let’s begin with a simple sentence: Grandma stays up too late.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Now let’s expand on that a bit: Grandma stays up too late. She’s afraid she’s going to miss something. This is OK. Two independent ideas, separated by a period.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on What if we try to combine the two ideas? Grandma stays up too late, she’s afraid she’s going to miss something. Something’s wrong. We connected two independent clauses with only a comma. The dreaded COMMA SPLICE!
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on We could insert a coordinating conjunction: Grandma is afraid she’ll miss something, so she stays up too late. This is better! Note the comma that accompanies the coordinating conjunction.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on We could also try subordinating one of these ideas: Grandma stays up too late because she’s afraid she’s going to miss something. Notice that the comma disappeared. One idea (the second one) now depends on the other; it has become a dependent clause. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on But let’s try something else.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Let’s try using a semicolon in this sentence.
;
Grandma stays up too late she’s afraid she’s going to miss something. Notice there is no conjunction used with this semicolon – either subordinating or coordinating. Just the semicolon, all by itself. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Sometimes semicolons are accompanied by conjunctive adverbs – words such as however, moreover, therefore, nevertheless, consequently, as a result. Grandma is afraid she’s going to miss something;
as a result, she stays up too late.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Notice the pattern:
; as a result, semicolon + conjunctive adverb + comma
This is a typical construction with semicolons. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on There is one other use of the semicolon: to help us sort out monster lists, like this one: monster lists
The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor of Mathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut, Virginia Villa, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut, Paul Creech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut, and Joan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington, Connecticut. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Be careful where you insert semicolons in this sentence. The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor of Mathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut; Virginia Villa, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut ; Paul Creech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut ; and Joan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington, Connecticut. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Now you know everything you’ll ever need to know about using semicolons!
© Capital Community College
This PowerPoint presentation was created by Charles Darling, PhD Professor of English and Webmaster Capital Community College Hartford, Connecticut copyright November 1999
© Capital Community College
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Let’s begin with a simple sentence: Grandma stays up too late.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Now let’s expand on that a bit: Grandma stays up too late. She’s afraid she’s going to miss something. This is OK. Two independent ideas, separated by a period.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on What if we try to combine the two ideas? Grandma stays up too late, she’s afraid she’s going to miss something. Something’s wrong. We connected two independent clauses with only a comma. The dreaded COMMA SPLICE!
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on We could insert a coordinating conjunction: Grandma is afraid she’ll miss something, so she stays up too late. This is better! Note the comma that accompanies the coordinating conjunction.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on We could also try subordinating one of these ideas: Grandma stays up too late because she’s afraid she’s going to miss something. Notice that the comma disappeared. One idea (the second one) now depends on the other; it has become a dependent clause. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on But let’s try something else.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Let’s try using a semicolon in this sentence.
;
Grandma stays up too late she’s afraid she’s going to miss something. Notice there is no conjunction used with this semicolon – either subordinating or coordinating. Just the semicolon, all by itself. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Sometimes semicolons are accompanied by conjunctive adverbs – words such as however, moreover, therefore, nevertheless, consequently, as a result. Grandma is afraid she’s going to miss something;
as a result, she stays up too late.
© Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Notice the pattern:
; as a result, semicolon + conjunctive adverb + comma
This is a typical construction with semicolons. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on There is one other use of the semicolon: to help us sort out monster lists, like this one: monster lists
The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor of Mathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut, Virginia Villa, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut, Paul Creech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut, and Joan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington, Connecticut. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Be careful where you insert semicolons in this sentence. The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor of Mathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut; Virginia Villa, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut ; Paul Creech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut ; and Joan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington, Connecticut. © Capital Community College
Our Fri end , t he Se mi col on Now you know everything you’ll ever need to know about using semicolons!
© Capital Community College
This PowerPoint presentation was created by Charles Darling, PhD Professor of English and Webmaster Capital Community College Hartford, Connecticut copyright November 1999
© Capital Community College
Related Documents
Semicolon
April 2020 1