Beyond the Rhetoric

Based on the initial response that I received from my first Grammar 101 post, The Difference Between Its and It’s, there’s a good chance that this will become a regular thing here on Beyond the Rhetoric. Improving your grammar and spelling can not only further your freelance writing and professional blogging career, but it can also help in other areas of your life as well. Improved writing skills can come in handy for school, job applications, correspondence with official government agencies, and letters to your favorite Hollywood celebrity.

While most people understand how to use punctuation like commas and exclamation marks, many are not quite as familiar with the proper use of colons and semicolons. Although these two forms of punctuation aren’t really necessary in everyday speech and writing, they can add an extra touch of professionalism or sophistication to your articles. Let’s have a look at how to use colons and semicolons.

Colons: For Illustrations, Subtexts, and Lists

In general, there are three scenarios — aside from smiley faces and emoticons — where you may want to use a colon.

Illustrating a Point: You can use a colon in between two sentences if the second statement somehow illustrates or explains the first statement. For example, you could write, “Wii Fit is a very popular video game: It is sold out everywhere I look!”

Using Subtexts in Titles: I use this method from time to time for blog posts, because it can add a little “punch” to post titles. For example, instead of “Starbucks is Great for Geek Culture”, you could switch that to “Starbucks: Great for Geek Culture”. It’s a minor difference, but some prefer the latter over the former.

Introducing a List: This is probably the most common use for colons. If you are going to list several items, you can introduce this list with a colon. Bear in mind that you have to precede the colon with a complete sentence. For example, you can say, “I eat all kinds of fruit: apples, oranges, peaches, and more.” You don’t use a colon for a sentence like this: “I eat all kinds of fruit, like apples, oranges, and tangerines.”

Semicolons Demonstrate Contrast

Semicolons are used when the contrast between two statements is being emphasized. Typically, some kind of “joining” word is used in conjunction with the semicolon as well. Most people understand this, but a very common error is not using two complete sentences on either side of the semicolon. They have to be complete sentences!

Correct: John has no problem spending money on fine dining; however, he is quite frugal when buying clothing.

Incorrect: John spends freely at nice restaurants; but not at clothing stores.

You may also notice that the first word following the semicolon is not capitalized. This is because the second half is technically still part of just one sentence. Semicolons are used pretty sparingly, but you want to make sure that you use them correctly when you do, especially if you’re blogging for someone else.

Got a Grammar Question for Me?

As you continue to seek out a unique writing voice, you may encounter some issues with certain grammatical nuances. Do you have any specific grammar questions that you would like clarified? Feel free to ask a question through the comment form below and it just may be featured in a future edition of Grammar 101.

Filed under Freelance Writing.