What is the difference between using a comma and a semicolon

Correct : Some useful subjects are English, which is an international language ; math, which is used in all sciences and social sciences; and philosophy, which underpins many other areas of study. The rules of the colon are strict but fairly easy to remember. Humans use five major senses : sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Martha realized that her worst fear was coming true : her son was being sent to war. Incorrect: I have three desires : To eat, sleep, and work. Correct : I have three desires : to eat, sleep, and work.

Their dreams reflect a primal desire for pleasure, whereas humans are preoccupied with the ego and self-image. This is equally true in wakefulness and sleep. There is one mantra that can sum up our position towards climate change : urgent action.

Incorrect : Sarah and her friends loved spending time on the mountain : nature always held a special meaning for them.

Correct : Sarah and her friends loved spending time on the mountain ; nature always held a special meaning for them. Use a semi-colon if the information in the second clause is somewhat related but does not illustrate, explain, or paraphrase the first clause. The colon is a powerful punctuation mark and should be used sparingly. Pay attention to this. This is important. This is the same effect colons can have upon readers. A semicolon adds varieties to the content. It is also sometimes used to join the content.

They are also used to show the dependencies between two clauses with the help of a conjunction. They function as a separator as well as a connector. They show the connectivity between the verb, subject and the predicate. They are mostly written before the conditions. Semicolons are generally used to connect two sentences, which are some what related, but not directly related to each other.

For example: "A banana tree isn't a tree at all ; it's the world's largest herb. Here the quality of the banana herb is highlighted as being large and is also compared in general to a tree, so the connectivity is shown with the help of a semicolon.

We recommend using parallel structure. If you use the colon, the first word after the colon should not be capitalized. Is there a rigid rule against this? Thanks, Chris J. No authoritative source that we are aware of recommends placing a space before a colon. In our opinion, it is not grammatically correct. The date should be followed by a comma.

Examples: On Friday, February 6, we attended an international conference. On Friday, February 6, , his daughter is getting married. What are multiple ways to punctuate and or add grammar to this sentence to address it in different ways?

I have had the same debate with several people in the last few years. Sometimes, it is a very heated debate. Since the holiday card season is upon us, I would like to know what you suggest. I usually order my cards online and include the comma. I told her that I have consulted English teachers about the comma and they all have told me to include it. She told me her mom was an English teacher and she never uses it before the and.

No, it is not crazy. We recommend including it. This debate is about whether or not to include what is known as the Oxford, or series, comma. See our Rule 1 of Commas. I stumbled across this today, and I believe it is wrong? How could I punctuate this correctly. What is the rule with colons and quotation marks?

Hyperbole B. Personification C. Simile D. Personification this is the correct answer, by the way C. I am often late for school; I really should set my alarm clock, but I often fall asleep doing my homework. With three outfits to choose from, shorts, pants, or skirts, and a unique blend of styles; it only makes sense to purchase within your range. Mix and match as you desire! About periods and spacing at the end of a sentence. It is two spaces per APA rules. Your comment might be of interest to those who are required to follow the rules of the American Psychological Association.

Are there cases in which colons are not stylistically correct because what is listed after the colon does not relate back to the independent clause before the colon with a good flow? I wanted to run these two paragraphs pass you and get your view as to which is the correct use of punctuations. We will advise you on the following: a marketing documentation including teaser, IM, process letter, etc. If each point is a complete sentence, capitalize the first word and end the sentence with appropriate ending punctuation.

Therefore, we recommend the following: We will advise you on the following: a marketing documentation including teaser, IM, process letter, etc. I think this site is fantastic. I just wanted to clarify if this is the correct usage of a colon.

Rule : A colon is used to introduce a second sentence that clarifies the first sentence. Tom and Jim did not complete their homework : they will have ti stay back during recess to complete their work. Your first sentence is fine, except you have an unnecessary space before the colon.

Your second sentence is all right, but we would have used a semicolon instead of a colon. A semicolon can replace a period if the writer wishes to narrow the gap between two closely linked sentences. There should not be a space before the semicolon or period. Also, the word to is misspelled.

Another, question : Is it a general rule — there is never a space before and after a colon or semicolon? Yes, it is a general rule that there should not be a space before a semicolon or colon. There should, however, be a space after. The same is true of periods, question marks, commas, and exclamation points.

When reading through the different sections on this site, it seems that I am doing many things wrong. What I want to convey is the following.

My current alternative is as follows. I would be grateful of any input. PS: I apologize for all the horrible mistakes I made during the post of this question. A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a predicate. It is possible for a clause to have two verbs. Example: because she screamed and cried. The word or does not need to be capitalized. I have a doubt regarding commas and colons. We recommend writing the following: Tell children to open their books.

Your semicolons and commas are all right, but we prefer a comma preceding and in a series, which you used only once out of two opportunities. Be consistent unless you are implying that Middle East and Africa are one unit. Your partial sentence sounds like an excerpt from a poem. We do note a spelling error with an extra s at the end of the word moon.

We will consider your request if there is support in acceptable off-label compendia or two articles from peer-reviewed medical journals that show treatment in this condition is safe and effective. These articles are only considered if there is no clear and convincing evidence in any other major peer-reviewed medical journal that shows the opposite: that IVIG is not safe and effective for this diagnosis. Do you have a view on how many colons is too many? Can you suggest a ratio? The style manuals do not address the concern of excessive colons.

We recommend using common sense. Always proofread your writing. If you see anything distracting, the sentence should be rewritten. This is the notorious Oxford, Harvard or serial comma, preference for use or omission of which has been the subject of many a debate. The fact is that neither use nor omission guarantees no ambiguity, though Americans are most likely to be ignorant of this fact and periodically insist that its use prevents ambiguity, apparently misled by one or more style guides that make the same assertion.

Remove ambiguity as follows: a when only 1 applies, omit the comma; b when only 2 applies, insert the comma; and c when 1 and 2 both apply, re-order the list and or rephrase.

We have devoted two posts to this topic. I have seen where someone had used semicolons when writing a list instead of using commas. Why would they do that? Is it the correct thing to do? We would recommend that commas be used rather than semicolons to separate the items in this list because the items themselves do not contain commas.

They provide greater pause between items, as well as a moment of extra focus on them. After a busy week, Dr. Dre decided to play soccer in the park: we went to the movies instead.

Dre decided to play soccer in the park. We went to the movies instead. OR After a busy week, Dr. Dre decided to play soccer in the park; we went to the movies instead. When you have a sentence with a command, does it always need a conjunction or semicolon after it? Since your examples are commands that each begin with the understood subject you , they each contain two complete sentences that are not joined by connectors such as and, or, but, etc. Therefore, we recommend either separating them into two complete sentences or using a semicolon.

Can someone explain to me why these two independent clauses are separated with only a comma, as I guess there should be a FANBOYS after the first sentence.

This is a run-on sentence as written. Please see our rules for Commas and Semicolons for more information. What should I use in the following sentence. George Stevens[,] a fire fighter in the area responded by saying that it was an accident. Should [,] be a comma, a semicolon or a colon? George Stevens, a fire fighter in the area, responded by saying that it was an accident. Please see our reply in the post When to Add s to a Verb.

What punctuation is used incorrectly in this sentence and why? Please, I have a problem deciding where the comma should be in the sentence below: Six months had passed since the opening of his art gallery and still patronage was very low.

We recommend that you continue the pattern of separating the individuals with semicolons even though the final four do not have their titles listed. In any case, we advise that a new election be held because too many of these people are related to each other, which inevitably will lead to a conflict of interest! Where exactly does my semicolon go? Is this an instance where parentheses would be better? As far as we know, parentheses still have their place in formal writing when correctly applied.

We recommend a comma or parentheses in your sentence, because there is no correct place for a semicolon. In addition, you should be consistent when spelling out vs. Some possibilities:. Twenty years of experience and twenty years of learning later, Barton Systems continues to serve the residential lending communities in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and parts of Vermont.

Twenty years of experience and twenty years of learning later , Barton Systems continues to serve the residential lending communities in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and parts of Vermont.

Twenty years and twenty years of learning later , Barton Systems continues to serve the residential lending communities in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and parts of Vermont. Twenty years of learning later, Barton Systems continues to serve the residential lending communities in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and parts of Vermont.

Please see our rules for Parentheses , Semicolons , Commas, and Writing Numbers for more information. Please see our Rules for Colons. I am trying to write job qualifications in a cover letter, paragraph style, but I am caught up on where I should put semi colons vs. Because we are not familiar with the specifics, we are providing two possible ways to convey your qualifications, but you may need to make some alterations.

With five years of direct experience in student-services and leadership-development programs, I am excited for the opportunity to bring my creativity and structured approach to the assistant director role. My experience includes:. We run towards the open barrier; our feet pounding on the forest floor, desperation fueling the pace. As indicated by our Rule 1a of Semicolons , you may use a semicolon to narrow the gap between two closely linked sentences or independent clauses.

Example : In the study of Zambian societies he analyzed through statics the variation in the cultural interpretation of same symbols by the same culture group, but his reports mostly from the subjects perspective.

Is the above example sentence correct? Here I used the same subject twice. There are various refinements that could be made to your sentence. Could you please tell me if I am using the commas and semicolons correctly in the following sentence, please?

Commas are correctly used in your first statement. We recommend commas instead of semicolons in the sentence that follows as there are no commas contained in the individual items in the series.

Since you have two independent clauses connected without a conjunction, you may use either a semicolon or a period. Should I use a colon or a comma in the following sentence? It may be helpful to provide an example for your rule: If, however, you have additional sentences following the sentence with the colon and they explain the sentence prior to the colon, capitalize the first word of all the sentences following the colon.

Thank you for the suggestion. We were hesitant to get into too much detail regarding the subtleties of capitalization. Please see Rules 4, 5, 6, and 7 of Colons for more detailed explanations. I recall that our instruction book Staff Duties in the Field, Appendix C was clear that there should be 3 spaces after a full stop although I have yet to meet a trained secretary outside the Army who used more than 2.

Since the purpose of punctuation is to make the meaning of what is written as clear as possible, I still use 3 spaces, since the extra space separates sentences from each other more than the single spaces after commas etc.

Thank you for that interesting insight into guidelines for punctuation and spacing not that long ago. We have not heard of three spaces before. Perhaps such guidance was limited to the British armed forces. Should there be a semicolon after therapist in this sentence? Pam Reid, a registered nurse; Susan Richard, a dietician; and Paula Brande, a physical therapist attended the meeting. Another way to look at it is to consider the simplest form of the sentence, which could be Pam Reid, a registered nurse, attended the meeting.

Here you can see that the job description is an appositive, i. Therefore, write: Pam Reid, a registered nurse; Susan Richard, a dietician; and Paula Brande, a physical therapist, attended the meeting. Please tell me how you would use punctuation in that example. Sometimes authors of fiction use creative writing techniques and unconventional punctuation. Other approaches could include My jeans: ripped; my leg: completely peeled; the ground: covered in blood. My jeans, ripped; my leg, completely peeled; the ground, covered in blood.

In the sentence below would I use a comma before the names of the children, and does it depend on how many names there are? I was wondering about a colon instead of the comma. When the noun preceding the appositive provides sufficient identification on its own, use commas around the appositive.

A colon is also acceptable punctuation to introduce the names as a list or series. Charles and his wife, Judy, have three children: James, Carol, and Joseph. Charles and his wife, Judy, have two children: James and Carol. What about when you have a sentence that separates and the 2nd sentence starts with However… should it be a comma or a semi colon?

You appear to be referring to one sentence, not two, where the single sentence contains two independent clauses joined by however , not However. It is also preferable to use a comma after these words and terms.

Example: Bring any two items; however, sleeping bags and tents are in short supply. Is it appropriate to use a semicolon between two commands? Do commands pass as independent clauses? For example, is the sentence below grammatically correct? To stay healthy is a phrase a group of words without a subject-verb complement , not an independent clause.

Therefore, we recommend punctuating with commas: To stay healthy, eat good food, drink clean water, and exercise. In response: To stay healthy, eat good food, drink clean water, and exercise. You is the subject. To stay healthy; eat good food, drink clean water, and exercise. However, grammar may have changed since I was a youth. A semicolon is commonly used to narrow the gap between two closely linked sentences. I have a question related to this one.

Should this sentence have commas between a couple of the adjectives? Rule: Use a comma between two [comma? Please see our website for Rule 2 of Commas. Because we would not say long two independent clauses, no comma. For your information, Precision Health is one of the four core strategic industries, and Biomedical is one of the five industries which will go through transformation. Leave a Comment or Question: Cancel reply. Please ensure that your question or comment relates to the topic of the blog post.

Unrelated comments may be deleted. If necessary, use the "Search" box on the right side of the page to find a post closely related to your question or comment. Your email address will not be published. It is easy to remember the function of a semicolon by looking it since a semicolon looks like a comma over a full stop.

A semicolon is mainly used to combine two independent clauses without the use of a coordinating conjunction; therefore, a semicolon can create compound sentences. We also use a semicolon before words and terms such as however, therefore, in addition, otherwise, etc.

These words are also generally followed by a comma. Commas should be used to separate words and phrases; otherwise, the meaning would be unclear. Comma is a punctuation mark indicating a pause between parts of a sentence or separating items in a list. Semicolon is a punctuation mark indicating a pause that is more pronounced than that indicated by a comma.

Comma indicates a pause between parts of a sentence.