1. How to use a semicolon and a colon.
Literacy Focus
How to use a semicolon and a colon.

2. Semicolon ;
You don’t need to panic about punctuation; semicolons are very easy to use.

3. How to use a semicolon
The most common way to use a semicolon is to connect two separate sentences.
I walked to school; it was raining.

4. Don’t use it with connectives!
Connectives are words like:
and
but
because
Netball may be called off, but it depends on the weather. OR
Netball may be called off; it depends on the weather.

5. Over to you 1) Use a semicolon to join the following sentences:
I walked to school.
It was raining.
The restaurant was very busy.
The waiters looked harassed.

6. How to use a colon :
A colon introduces an explanation or a list. For example:
When you go shopping, you will need: bananas, oranges and a lion. (List)
There is one thing you need to know about coleslaw: it looks and tastes like sick.
(Explanation)

7. To sum up…
A semicolon connects two separate sentences; it is used instead of a connective.
Netball may be called off; it depends on the weather.
A colon is used to introduce a list or an explanation.
When you go shopping, you will need: bananas, oranges and a lion. (List)
L.O: to learn how to use a colon. (Explanation)
Don’t get them confused!