SEMICOLONS AND COLONS

Use a semicolon to join two complete sentences into one compound sentence. It’s not too hot in here; it’s not too cold either. Many people read books; others prefer magazines.

Use a semicolon to separate items in a list if the items are long or have so many commas in them that it would be confusing to separate them with commas. To get ready for your party, you should clean your room; make sure your funky, fresh CD collection is by the stereo; prepare a lot of delicious food; and expect things to get crazy.

Use a semicolon to separate sentences that are joined by conjunctive adverbs. Elizabeth was dressed to go out; however, the phone call delayed her, and she missed her ride. Michael was angry with Cathy for forgetting to feed the dog; moreover, he was upset about seeing her junk all over the table.

CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS Also Anyway Besides Certainly Finally However Incidentally Indeed Instead Meanwhile Moreover Nevertheless Otherwise Therefore Thus

Use a colon when you are ending a sentence with a list. But, never, I mean never, use a colon after a verb like is or are. WRONG—My favorite musicians are: Bob Dylan, Wyclef Jean, and the late Jerry Garcia. RIGHT—These are three really great modern bands: Outkast, Widespread Panic, and U2.

Use a colon to introduce a quotation. Franklin Roosevelt once stated: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Additional Examples John 3: 16 8:05 AM To whom it may concern: