SSAT Writing Independent

Writing II
Punctuation Marks: Comma,
Semicolons, and Colons
Semicolon ;
A semi-colon gives a break
halfway between , and .

to separate two
main clauses
to separate lengthy
e.g. It was a great pleasure to meet you
yesterday; I hope we meet again soon. items in a list

The semicolon here is e.g. I surveyed John Street: small, redbrick

like a formal version houses; an ancient church; three brand new
of the dash. bungalows, and a Victorian town house, gone to seed.

When semicolons are used

in a list, there is usually a
comma before the and.

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Colon :
A colon marks a break
where there is a feeling of
balance between the elements
on either side:

to introduce a list, an
example or a quotation to separate two main
clauses, where the second
clause expands on or
e.g. I surveyed John Street: small, illustrates the first
redbrick houses; an ancient church;
three brand new bungalows,
and a Victorian town house, gone to seed. e.g. It was very cold: the
temperature was below zero.
e.g. I love the first lines of ‘Jabberwocky’:
“’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe…”

Previous slide
Colons versus Semicolons
1. Colons and semicolons express a
relationship between two halves of a
sentence.
2. Colons indicate that the second half of the
sentence proceeds from the first half.
Colons mean “that is” or “what I mean by
that is…”
3. Semicolons create a list (but no stronger
relationship than that). They mean “and” or
“also
1. Use them when the second half of the sentence
further explains the first half:
• John is a very emotional person: he cries at the drop of a hat.
• I got just what I wanted for my birthday: a Denali.
2. Use them to introduce a list that does not flow
naturally with the rest of the sentence:
• The classroom was a cacophony of the sounds of 2007: iPods, cell
phones, and laptops.
3. You do not need a colon if the list fits into the
grammar of the sentence:
• My favorite foods are chicken cacciatore, boeuf en daube, and
Cheesy Westerns.
1. Semicolons connect independent clauses in a
“both-and” relationship.
• My brother was sixteen years old that winter; I was thirteen.
• He had a Mustang; I, however, wanted a Denali.
2. Semicolons separate items in a list when commas
are not strong enough to do so.
• I bought fruits such as apples, pears, and bananas; meats such as
chicken and pork; and cereals such as Cheerios, Kix, Crispix, and
Circus Fun
 Explain how to choose the right college.

 Many people spend a great deal of time with

animals. Write about the relationships that
people have with animals?
The comma , separating
separating the off an introductory
items in a list ‘chunk’
Within a
I bought eggs, a pint of
sentence a comma Anyway, I decided
shows where one not to go.
milk, tea and sugar.
Three weeks later,
chunk of meaning James was born.
ends and Although she was only
separating the another begins… three, Gemma knew
her tables.
direct speech from
a reporting clause The introductory ‘chunk’ could be a word,
a phrase or a subordinate clause.
If you remove it, the main clause would
still make sense.

See explanation on direct

speech page.
marking off
extra information
separating off embedded in the
‘tag phrases’ and names sentence
This is great, isn’t it? See also comma Jill, my boss, is
How old are you, John? splice. 28 years old.
 Pairs of commas
Megan, do you know how to use punctuation to add some
information that won’t disrupt the flow?

Oh yes, I remember, you need to use pairs of

commas…

Sometimes, we want to add information to make our writing clearer, without distracting the
reader from the sentence, e.g.

John, who hated cola, bought a lemonade in the café.

TIP: Pairs of commas add extra details to a sentence without

ruining the flow.
 Using pairs of commas
Try to work out where to use pairs of commas in these examples:

1. ,
Mexico assumed by many to be a South American country is in North America.
2. , also patron saint of excluded people is the patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick
3. The Moon although it floats in space like the Earth is not a planet.
, ,
4. Bulls despite the fact that they will attack a red cloak are colour-blind.
5. A tomato although a fruit is usually eaten on a salad.
, ,

, ,

, ,

Did you put your commas in these places?

 t he

i
The comma splice
se
su ma
of
a comma
M m
Co splice
Gemma was worn out, she curled up
on the ground and went to sleep.
Rule of thumb: Rule:
If you could substitute A comma cannot be
a full stop, a comma is used to separate two
probably wrong. You could use main clauses.
alternative punctuation:

Gemma was Gemma was Gemma was Gemma was

worn out. She worn out-she worn out; she worn out: she
curled up on the curled up on the curled up on the curled up on the
ground and ground and ground and ground and
went to sleep. went to sleep. went to sleep. went to sleep.
(see Sentence) (see Dash) (see Semicolon) (see Colon)

or you could add a conjunction, e.g.

Gemma was worn out so she curled up on the ground and went to sleep.
Previous slide
Commas: A Bunch of Rules
1. Use a comma to join two sentences with
“and,” “but,” or “or.”
 You cook, and I’ll do the dishes.
 I’ll cook and do the dishes.
 2. Use a comma after an introductory
word group.
 If you cook, I’ll do the dishes.
More Rules…
 Use a comma between items in a
series.
 I’d rather not do the cleaning, laundry, or dishes.
 4. Use a comma to set off added
information only if that information is not
absolutely necessary.
 My mother, who is a college professor, hates her job.
 I am looking for a college professor who hates his job. [no
comma]
Still More Rules
 . Use commas to set off transitions.
 It was cloudy this morning, but, in fact, it did not rain.
 It was cloudy this morning; however, it did not rain.
 6. Use commas to make reading easier.
 Unlike Joe, Catherine loves to sing.
 To err is human; to forgive, divine.
 Well, things didn’t go well; what happened, happened.
Tired Yet?
 Use commas to set off direct address or
quotations.
 John, would you come over here?
 “John,” she shouted, “would you come over here?”
8. Do NOT use a comma every time you
breathe.
9. Do NOT use a comma whenever it seems
like you (maybe, perhaps) should.
Colons
1. Use them when the second half of the sentence
further explains the first half:
• John is a very emotional person: he cries at the drop of a hat.
• I got just what I wanted for my birthday: a Denali.
2. Use them to introduce a list that does not flow
naturally with the rest of the sentence:
• The classroom was a cacophony of the sounds of 2007: iPods, cell
phones, and laptops.
3. You do not need a colon if the list fits into the
grammar of the sentence:
• My favorite foods are chicken cacciatore, boeuf en daube, and
Cheesy Westerns.
 Semicolons
A semicolon (;) joins two complete sentences into one.
This is because some sentences are too closely related to be separated by a full stop
but they are missing a connecting word, such as and or but, e.g.

Eating chocolate in moderation is fine; eating chocolate to

excess is bad.

The semicolon joins the separate statements about chocolate into one sentence which acts
like a warning: eating a little chocolate is fine but beware of eating a lot because it is bad.
It suggests that the first event is related to the second event.
 Semicolons
Here are some more examples of sentences with semicolons:

1. Megan was angry; Tom was not listening.

2. It was the best year; it was the worst year.
3. Max felt hot; the sun was blazing.
4. I don’t like cabbage; I don’t like carrots.
5. I found the film long; Tim found the film short.

What does the semicolon imply in each sentence?

What would happen if the semicolons were replaced with colons or full stops?
 Colons and semicolons
Colons and semicolons are good to use in your writing as they are stylish. They can change
the meanings of the same set of words, e.g.

Lei is happy:
happy;
happy. Max is sad.

1. Using a full stop separates the events into unrelated events: Lei happens to be happy and
Max happens to be sad.

2. Using a colon changes the two events into one event with an explanation: Lei is (quite
cruelly) happy because Max is sad.

3. The semicolon links the two events. Lei, therefore, may be happy that Max is sad, or Max
may be sad that Lei is happy.

Try to write five sentences using semicolons to link two sentences

together.
 Explain how to become a smart consumer.

 Describe the purposes of the Internet. Include

various viewpoints, including that of users and
providers

 Explain the causes and effects of a poor diet.