What Is The Difference Between A Colon And A Semicolon

They look very similar have similar names and they can both be used as a pause in a sentence or to combine different parts into a single sentence.

The sentences separated by a semicolon should have a close connection. Colon on the other hand is often used before explanations or reasons. Semicolon is often used instead of the full stop in cases where sentences are grammatically full and independent. Use a semicolon to connect two sentences that have equal value.

The colon is the one composed of two vertical dots like so. Here is the simple difference between a colon and semicolon from an author s purpose context. What is the difference between semicolon and colon. It enables the writer to avoid over use of the comma and preserves the finality of the full stop.

Colons and semicolons were initially used to express pauses longer than a comma and shorter than a period. A semicolon is used to combine two independent clauses into one sentence. A colon is like a literary equals sign as opposed to mathematical one and a semicolon is like a half full stop or half period. Given its function it should have been called a semi full stop or a semi period.

RELATED ARTICLE :

• what is the heart of the sea for in minecraft
• what is the fastest way to get rid of mice
• what is the main characteristic of a laissez faire economy

A semicolon which is represented by the symbol is used to separate a sentence into two different parts. The colon and the semicolon are two types of punctuation. Learn how to use a semicolon and when to use a colon in english with examples punctuation rules and esl worksheets. A semi colon is used to separate sentences where the conjunction has been left out.

Use a colon to signal the reader that the most important part of the sentence is what comes after the colon kind of like the punchline. The difference between the usage of a semicolon and a colon is one of those subtleties. A colon on the other hand is used to introduce something new into the sentence that is directly related to the first part of the sentence. The semicolon is badly named.