What Is The Difference Between A Colon And A Semicolon

When to use a semicolon.

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. Here is the simple difference between a colon and semicolon from an author s purpose context. Learn how to use a semicolon and when to use a colon in english with examples punctuation rules and esl worksheets. The semicolon is badly named.

The colon and the semicolon are two types of punctuation. Colons and semicolons were initially used to express pauses longer than a comma and shorter than a period. Semicolon is often used instead of the full stop in cases where sentences are grammatically full and independent. It enables the writer to avoid over use of the comma and preserves the finality of the full stop.

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 colon is the one composed of two vertical dots like so. The sentences separated by a semicolon should have a close connection. Colon on the other hand is often used before explanations or reasons.

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Given its function it should have been called a semi full stop or a semi period. A semi colon is used to separate sentences where the conjunction has been left out. The difference between the usage of a semicolon and a colon is one of those subtleties. 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.

A semicolon which is represented by the symbol is used to separate a sentence into two different parts. 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. What is the difference between semicolon and colon. Colons and semicolons have different functions.