Tuesday Tutorial: Punctuation. Colon vs Semicolon

Did you know that in medieval times the semicolon was used to indicate abbreviations and a termination in a psalm, and that the Greeks still use them today to indicate a question?
A friend was at a critiquing session a while ago and there was comment made on her use of semicolons in her work. So this tutorial will try to unravel the correct placement of both.

Colon
A colon tells the reader that what follows is significant to the preceding clause. It adds the pay- off line, in other words the answer to the clause before it.
e.g. The machine was always breaking down: it was old.
The colon means/or acts as a substitute for as follows when introducing a long list.
e.g.There were six people at the meeting: Mary Knots, Joan Long, Lucy Browne, Anne Gordon, Penelope Court, and Harriet Puller.
The colon can be used to add a single word to a phrase to add dramatic significance
e.g. She only ate one thing: chocolate.
The colon can be used to add a word, clause, or phrase to act as a substitute for as a result.
e.g. The house burned down:the vagrants left.
Can be used after a salutation at the beginning of a letter
e.g. To Whom It May Concern:
To divide time
e.g. 1:45
Bible references
e.g. Matthew 12:3
To separate a title from a subtitle.
e.g. The Classic Guide to Better Writing: Step-by-Step Techniques and Exercises to Write, Simply, Clearly, and Correctly
According to Lynne Truss (Eats Shoots and Leaves): "The colon propels the reader forward along lines already subtly laid out. It usually follows a complete sentence and indicates what is to come. "
She elaborates on this more:
"Colons introduce the part of the sentence that exemplifies, restates, elaborates, undermines, explains or balances the preceding part. They also form an introductory role. They start lists (especially those containing semicolons). They set off book and film sub-titles from the main title. They separate dramatic characters from their dialogue. And, start off long quotations and introduce examples."

Semicolon
A semicolon ties ideas together. It is the dividing point in a compound sentence.
If used properly it helps the reader 'read' between the lines and adds more significance to the preceding clause than a comma. It adds a longer pause than a comma, yet a shorter pause than a full stop. It points out the connection between two ideas without using another word.
e.g. I like Mary; she loves cats.
(If you were to use a full stop, the reader is left draw their own conclusion. Using the semicolon leaves the reader wondering if you like Mary because she likes cats, or in spite of her loving cats. ) As Lynne Truss says: " ...the semicolon propels you in any direction related to the foregoing."
A semicolon should be used when joining two or more grammatically complete clauses without a conjunction to form a compound sentence. (you can make two sentences of it)
e.g. The meeting was well underway; it should finish on time.
If the second part of a clause begins with an adverb such as accordingly, then, besides, therefore, or thus and not by a conjunction a semicolon is required.
e.g. I have never gone near there before; besides, the rain made the ground muddy.
NB: An exception here is that when the phrases are short, a comma will suit it better.
e.g. Man proposes, God disposes.
A semicolon should be used in place of the connecting word 'while', which is often substituted for and, but and although.
e.g. The office staff work on the first floor; the mechanics use the ground floor.
NB. while - should really only be used to indicate it's literal sense of 'during that time'.
A semicolon can be used to separate a long list started by a colon.
e.g. The editor wanted to cover a range of lifestyle subjects: personality profiles, not necessarily of famous people; triumph over tragedy pieces, base on real life experience; review columns of books, films, music and theater; 'how I changed my life' stories.
( Note the omission of 'and' in the last itemized subject.)
Using the colon, then the semicolons allows you to add punctuation to the list of items.


Some people use a dash to replace a semicolon. This is not incorrect though use of the dash is better employed when the connection to the preceding words is less direct. The dash then acts as a bridged between fractured comments.
e.g. I love Fruit Acids -why did they call them Sour Drops? - reminds me I didn't get my allowance-Mom!"

Now I must get on with my day: I'm off to make a coffee; have a massage, for my neck strain; run some errands; start packing my suitcase for my trip tomorrow.
Happy writing.