Comments on: Grammar 101: Understanding Colons and Semicolons

By: Grammar 101: How to Use Apostrophes || Beyond the Rhetoric ||

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:28:53 +0000

[...] it is much more common to find a mistake with an apostrophe than it is to find a mistake using a colon or semicolon. Chances are, all you have to do is head to your local grocery to find someone misusing and abusing [...]

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:48:58 +0000

You mentioned that “most people understand how to use punctuation like commas” but I think you might want to rethink that and perhaps give a lesson (or two or three) on proper and improper use of commas!

By: Who is the Object of Your Blogging Affection? || Beyond the Rhetoric ||

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:01:53 +0000

[...] posts may be mildly self-serving, the main purpose is to provide a service to the online community, helping them in one way or another. For example, a blogger may produce a tutorial on a certain aspect of WordPress, effectively [...]

By: Tyler Ingram

Tyler Ingram — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:14:00 +0000

I like these posts. I did really poor in English throughout high school and trying to remember all these ‘rules’ for writing just did not make sense. They still do not make sense and I muddle my way though it all. So posts like this might help me if I read them over and over again.

By: Michael Kwan

Michael Kwan — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:31:51 +0000

Right, that slipped my mind when I was writing ths post. DCR, you are correct. I use semicolons for lists if the items in the list contain commas.

By: dcr

dcr — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:16:31 +0000

Isn’t that just in cases where you have commas separating other parts of the list? For example, let’s say you recently visited Detroit, Michigan; Columbus, Ohio; and Louisville, Kentucky.

By: Jorge

Jorge — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:19:20 +0000

I was taught that for long lists we should use semi-colons. What’s your (and the grammar) opinion?

By: JasonLandals.com » Writer’s Block Begets Linkage

JasonLandals.com » Writer’s Block Begets Linkage — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:16:45 +0000

[...] in the great white north of Alberta. His latest post goes on about grammar, and more importantly the proper application of the colon and semicolon. I know of a few people that should read this post before being allowed to write anything else on [...]

By: betshopboy

betshopboy — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 02:17:01 +0000

Maybe they don’t teach such proper “old school” stuff in school anymore.

In this Internet age, colons and semicolons are used for expressing the writer’s emotive state in text or email messages – “:)” or “;-)”.

By: dcr

dcr — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:09:07 +0000

Don’t they teach this kind of stuff: in school anymore? I mean; I see; so many; people that misuse; colons and semicolons, that: it is hard to; believe. Granted; the misuse isn’t as pervasive: as spelling errors; but nonetheless; it is seen.

Seriously, though, I think the most common misuse is mixing up commas and semicolons. There are a lot of times when a semicolon should have been used, but a comma was used instead. Occasionally vice-versa but not as frequently.