Semicolons and Colons… How do we use them???

Semicolons Indicates a break in a sentence Stronger than a comma but not as strong as a period

Join parts of a compound sentence without a coordinating conjunction Enslaved people sang songs with secret messages; the songs told listeners how to escape.

Between parts of a compound sentence when the clauses are long and complicated or when they contain commas Runaways navigated by the stars; and they lived off the land, slept outdoors, and walked hundreds of miles to freedom.

When there are commas with parts of a series, use semicolons to separate the parts The travelers took clues from songs, such as a song about the stars; from quilts, which had special coded designs; and from other people along the way.

Understanding check… Do we use a semicolon to join simple sentences? We use a semicolon to join short clauses, right? When there are no commas in a series, we use a semicolon.

Colons Indicates an abrupt break Indicates that a list follows Used after greetings in business letters Expressions of time

Use a colon to introduce a list of items An escapee carried a few items: a knife, a flint, and a warm cloak. ** AVOID USING A COLON DIRECTLY AFTER A VERB OR A PROPOSITION!!!! – WRONG- The recipients are: Joe, Sam, and Rita. – WRONG- Send this message to: Joe, Sam, and Rita.

Use a colon after the formal greeting in a business letter. Dear Ms. Smith: Dear Sir:

Use a colon between numerals indicating hours and minutes Meet me at 8:00 P.M.

Understanding Check… When do we avoid using colons? We use colons after the greeting of a friendly letter, right? When is another time when we use colons?

Let’s Practice!!!

I don’t mind cats, dogs, or fish but she wants to have lizards, snakes, and spiders.

We went to Paris we saw the Eiffel Tower.

Joan doesn’t study she’s unlikely to do well in math.

However, Joan is a good athlete she trains hard.

Before you set off for school, make sure you have all your supplies pencils, compass, protractor, notebooks.