Colons - Semi Colons

   Colons, and Semi Colons 

Today’s request is from young Giles Pettifer, who would appreciate clarification on the correct usage of colons, and semi colons; in their differential to commas. Thus we shall refer to the Oxford Compendium for Grammar and Punctuation.

To start we shall look at colons: their prime objective is to separate main clauses where there is a step forward from the first to the second, especially from introduction to main point.

Prime Examples:

There is something I want to say: I should like you all to know how grateful I am to you.

It was not easy: to begin with I had to find the right house.

The weather was bad: so we decided to stay at home.

He could not believe all he had overheard: could it be true?

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Colons are useful as introduction to an informal list. In this use a — should not be used.

The following will be needed: a pen, pencil, rubber, piece of paper, and ruler.

Chloe collected most items she had required for hockey: her boots, her shorts, her shirt, and forgot her hockey stick.

The Colon is also used to introduce more formally and “emphatically” than a comma would: in speech or quoted material it adds dimension to pause, thus lengthens that moment of suspension mid sentence.

“I told them last week: ‘Do not in any circumstances open this door’.”

It was written down in large lettering: Step through this gate at your peril.

He vacated his chair: “How dare you imply that: when I have bent over backwards to oblige you?”

(However, a — would serve purpose for the last example)

He vacated his chair: “How dare you imply that— when I have bent over backwards to oblige you?”

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Now to the semi colon: the main role of its usage is to unite sentences that are closely associated, or that compliment or parallel each other in some way, as in the following examples.

In the northern part of the city there is a large industrial area with little private housing; further east is a university.

To err is human; to forgive, divine.

But, let us not stop there; the semi colon has usage as a stronger division in a sentence that already includes divisions by comma usage. In both the following examples it divides action from passive, and provides emphasis for drama or thoughtful consideration within prose, and dialogue.

He came out of the house, which lay back a good way from the road, and saw her at the end of the path; but instead hid until she was gone.

She glanced out of the carriage window; unsure how much farther it was to the next coaching inn.

The semi colon has its uses within lists; a stronger demarcation between items, names, and places.

I should like to thank my managing director, Stephen Jones; my secretary Mary Cartwright; and my assistant Kenneth Sloane.

We placed all the boxes of books in the study; each thus labelled in genre, such as thriller; romance; crime; all in order to simplify the process of replacement after the shelves are cleaned and polished.

Now to the inimitable and mischievous comma: a bane of many authors and often misread as a gremlin by readers. Oh how that little squiggle, the comma, is harder to define than all the other punctuation marks, and there is much variation in practise. Too many commas can be distracting; too few can make a piece of writing drab and difficult to read, or worse, difficult to understand.

So perhaps, the comma is better left for another day of in depth study.