Colons are written before a list or quotation. They separate long phrases in a list such as in this sentence-
Here is a list of useful equipment: pencils, rulers, dictionaries and jotters.
Or introduce a quotation:
He is now back to the use of half sentences because of hatred and panic: ‘Murderer! Destroyer! My bride – you’ve killed my bride…’
| Try to finish these sentences. -
The things I like about where I live are: -
If I could change the rules in the school they would be: -
The advantages of going to see a live band are: -
My ideal holiday would include the following things: -
An ideal Saturday would be spent: -
The best meal would have to have: -
Our favourite sports centre would include: -
A good friend usually has the following qualities: With a long list, use a colon and separate long phrases with semi colons. e.g. The things I like best are: shopping and chatting; walking and swimming; eating and drinking. |
Semi-colons are midway between a comma and a full stop.
They can be used to link the ideas of two separate clauses together instead of having two separate sentences.
| Where are the two clauses in these examples?: -
It was raining heavily Steve didn’t go out into the garden as he usually did. -
I loved the film Harry Potter the special effects were fantastic. |
| Think of another clause to add to each one of these which could be linked by using a semi-colon. -
The lesson was boring; -
The road was long and winding; |