Every year hundreds of thousands of students study punctuation...

Why??? Well, punctuation is really a courtesy to the reader.

Well.... Not just punks What do punks learn at school? Punctuation!

These two guys confuse an awful lot of people.

But actually they’re kind of opposites.

Consider the semicolon... It separates sentence parts so they don’t run together

It separates chunks of meaning in a sentence. Look at it this way: If the sentence is confusing, “Chunk it and Punk it”

For Example...

Semicolons separate items in a series when those items contain commas I have done oral reports on Maya Angelou, a poet Billy Joel, a singer and Mario van Peebles, a director and actor. ; ;

We elected Robert Brown, President, Jane Kirby, vice-president and Danny Jones, Secretary. Jo Ann visited Paris, France, Madrid, Spain and Sonora, Kentucky. Can you fix these sentences? Our club will meet Friday, March 23rd, Wednesday April 21st, and Friday, May, 20th.

Write a example: Of a sentence with list that already has commas in it and needs semicolons. DON’T PUT THE Semicolons IN IT. Give it to someone next to you. They will put the semicolons in. Evaluate their work and correct any errors

Chunk it and Punk it

Use a semicolon to separate main clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction My computer isn't working; perhaps I need to call a technician. Coordinating conjunctions are fanboys for and nor but or yet soso

Try these out.. Talented oral storytellers are rare; John Gray is exceptional. It rained the entire time we were in Canada we enjoyed the trip anyway. ; Paul Robeson was a talented singer and actor; he was also a famous football player.

Write a example: Of a sentence with a two independent clauses that needs to be separated by a semicolon. DON’T PUT THE Semicolon IN IT. Give it to someone next to you. They will put the semicolon in. Evaluate their work and correct any errors

Chunk it and Punk it

Use a semicolon to join clauses in sentences that contain conjunctive adverbs. By the time we had finished eating it was quite late; thus, everyone else on the beach had gone home.

So what’s a conjunctive adverb? Words like moreovernevertheless however thereforefurthermoreinstead for instance besideshence subsequently consequently accordingly

Stupidity is a serious disease; however, heart disease kills more people. My parents are strict ; for example I can watch TV only on the weekends., Emma felt shy; however, she soon made friends.

Try these... Elmo has a cat; therefore,he has cat hair on his clothes much of the time. Playing sports is fun besides it’s good exercise., Some flags have pictures on them ; for example California’s flag has a bear. ;,

Write a example: Of a sentence with a two independent clauses and a conjunctive adverb that needs to be separated by a semicolon. DON’T PUT THE Semicolon IN IT. Give it to someone next to you. They will put the semicolon in. Evaluate their work and correct any errors

Chunk it and Punk it

According to Bruce, he spent his vacation in Naples, Florida, but he said it was a business, not a pleasure, trip. To separate two clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction when one clause already contains a comma. Fanboys: for and nor but or yet so ;

Cameron entered Central on August but he attended North prior to that. Try these... You must bring boots socks and a backpack; but a cup and some snacks would be nice. We can make pizza burgers or tacos or we can just forget about snacks. ; ;,,,,,

Write a example: Of a sentence with a two independent clauses in which one clause already uses a comma that needs to be separated by a semicolon. DON’T PUT THE Semicolon IN IT. Give it to someone next to you. They will put the semicolon in. Evaluate their work and correct any errors

Chunk it and Punk it

So what about colons? When do we use them?

They join sentence parts together, sort of

The Colon actually acts as a sentence gateway… The colon comes at a point in the sentence where the sentence could come to a complete stop. I’m going to tell you the names of my favorite breakfast foods. We could even put a period after the word “foods,” couldn’t we? In fact, we did.

We know, however, what’s going to come after this period. I’m going to tell you the names of my favorite breakfast foods. That’s right, a LIST of breakfast foods.

I’m going to tell you the names of my favorite breakfast foods : meuslix, cornflakes, oatmeal, grits and gravy, and yogurt on toast. And the proper punctuation mark to set off this list from what comes before is a colon. The colon “announces” that a list is about to follow; it is the gateway to that list.

My favorite breakfast foods are bacon and eggs, cornflakes, oatmeal, pancakes, and bagels. Would I use a colon in the sentence above? No, because the sentence does not come to a halt here. Instead, the sentence flows right into the list. A colon would not be appropriate here.

This leads us to an important rule: Do not use a colon after a verb or a preposition. We like : April showers, red balloons, and starlit nights. Give it to : Mrs. Jones or Mrs. Brown.

Try these... Make sure that the names of the following cities are on your tickets: Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. The transportation show included cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, and vans.

At the crossroads we saw three signs: to Norway, to Paris, and to Lisbon. The following students need to see Ms. Perry: John Jones, Sara Miles, and Mickey Smith. You need to shop for shoelaces, milk, and five or six carrots. You need to shop for these items: shoe laces, milk, and carrots.

Our math tutor wants just one thing from us that we try our best. ( ) A colon can be a gateway in a second way… Examine this next sentence carefully. Here, we have an independent thought (ending with “us”). followed by another kind of completer (a noun clause).

To set off this completer, this explanation, we can use a colon. Our math tutor wants just one thing from us : that we try our best. These are the two main uses of the colon: to set off a list or an explanation that we know is about to follow the main part of the sentence.

Look at these two examples: For my team, I choose the following people : Zina, Ming, and Sue. In light of the data, the conclusion was not hard to obtain : Earth is not flat.

Of course, colons have some other conventional uses as well We also use the colon to set off a formal quotation. My father was always using his favorite quotation from Yogi Berra : “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

Additionally, use a colon with precise time measurements, Biblical chapter and verse references, math ratios, and business letter salutations. 10 : 02 A.M. John 3 : 16 1:2 Dear Ms. Delgado :

Alone in the house I heard scary sounds: creaking boards, scratching branches, and hissing steam. From 12: 30 PM until 1: 00 PM, I was so nervous I couldn’t sit still. A priest and a rabbi were discussing Isaiah 2: 2 and 5: 26.

Review Semicolons separate Two clauses joined by a fanboy when one clause already contains a comma. Clauses in sentences that contain conjunctive adverbs. Items in a series when those items contain commas Main clauses not joined by a conjunction

Introduce a list or restate previous material. Colons Are conventions used in precise time measurements, Biblical chapter and verse references, math ratios, and business letter salutations.

Chunk it and Punk it