Learning Punctuation: Colons and Semicolons
- michael0585
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Introduction - Learning English Punctuation
In this article, I want to explain two punctuation marks: the colon and the semicolon.
I'll go on to explain:
the difference between them
when you should (and should not) use them
And I will give you some examples.
Use them in a correct way and you will improve your English writing.
I used a colon in that first sentence.
If you cannot see it, this is what the colon looks like:
Colon ( : )
This is what the semicolon looks like:
Semicolon (😉 …and you notice that it makes a smiling, winking face if you put ; inside ( ) if you type it into your computer.
So here is the semicolon on its own: ;
And again, I used a colon before the semicolon.
By now, you should be understanding the use of the colon, from the examples I have given you.
A rule for using a colon
The rule is that when you want to show that something is following, such as a quotation, an example, or a list, use a colon.
By the way, the plural of colon: colons.
See, I have used a colon again.
An important point to remember is this:
Do not use a colon in a sentence after phrases such as "such as", "including", and "for example".
Phrases like these tell the reader that a list of examples will follow.
So there is no need to introduce them with a colon, which would be redundant/not needed.
A rule for using a semicolon
Never introduce a list using a semicolon (explained below).
Sometimes, a sentence ending in a full stop rather than a colon will introduce a list.
And it might look like this. (I could have used a colon here, instead of the full stop.)
These are the countries that have signed up to the agreement.
Australia
Japan
USA
Great Britain.
More about semicolons
Semicolons replace commas. I explained commas in another article.
A semicolon is used to join two independent clauses.
That means:
two clauses as two separate thoughts could each stand alone as complete sentences.
Example:
This is a blog article; you can read many other articles on punctuation here.
You can see that there are two complete sentences there:
This is a blog article.
and
You can read many other articles on punctuation here.
Conclusion
In this article, I have explained two very common punctuation marks.
And here are two final examples of how to use them.
They are: the colon and semicolon.
Learn to use them; your English writing will be much better.
Further Reading
If you are keen on learning other punctuation marks to acquire better written English, see the other posts I have written here.
And for a reminder for why learning punctuation is so important, please read this article.
About Me
Hello and welcome!
My name is Michael Finemore and I am the owner-operator of Apex English Tutoring.
As an experienced English Teacher, I'm passionate about helping people turn their 'poor' English into great English, with easy and effective ways to practice.
© Apex English Tutoring Dec 2020 - Updated January 2025
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