Purdue University North Central Writing Center Handout

Strong Internal Punctuation:  Semicolon, Colon, and Dash

A.     Semicolon between clauses of a compound sentence not joined by a conjunction.

B.     Semicolon to separate units that contain internal commas.

C.     Semicolon to separate clauses connected by conjunctive adverbs such as however, moreover, consequently.

D.     Colon between two clauses without a conjunction when the second clause supplements, explains, or interprets the first.

E.      Colon to introduce a formal quotation, an enumeration, or a list of particulars.

F.      Dash to mark a sharp turn in the thought of a sentence, or an informal summarizing statement.

G.       Dash to set off parenthetical expressions in informal style

Directions:  Insert semicolons, colons, and dashes where you think they are needed in the following sentences.  Write the letters of the rules you apply in the marginal blanks.  Where you think more than one mark would be equally appropriate, put the alternative mark/s in parentheses above your first punctuation.

1.      The West is an arid country not only its solvency but its very survival depend on its water supply.  _____

2.      The most striking of recent films certainly the most successful and the one most likely to be awarded the prize of ;publicity is Danger Road.  _____

3.      From the very first, recording on tape had one great advantage it could be cut apart at any point and spliced together very easily. _____

4.      The Swiss are cautious people who do everything methodically and well especially skiing, which is their national pastime.     _____

5.      Our next question is will living creatures arise on every planet where favorable physical conditions occur?                                                        _____

6.      Any traveler by automobile is familiar with the large amount of game killed along the highways some states have even erected road signs urging motorists to be careful of the game.   _____

7.      The boy was intelligent and attractive, made friends easily, liked his teachers, and readily admitted that school was a wonderful place for someone else.  _____

8.      Into a boat some forty-five feet long and twelve wide were compressed all the necessities of a well-stocked house food, beverages, linens, glasses, china, silver, and cooking utensils, medicine, cosmetics, books, writing paper, pictures everything one might need or want.  _____

9.      To make my allowance for clothes go as far as possible, I watch the sales, try to buy garments that will stay in style without becoming tiresome that usually involves going to the better shops and making what I can myself. _____

10.  All the work at the school is done by the students themselves no servants are employed.   _____

11.  You could detect an undertone of restlessness beneath the gaiety I might almost say the hysterical gaiety of the crowd.  _____

12.  The doctor was a willing and eager pupil consequently he made rapid progress in learning to read Italian.                                                                    _____

13.  I will end my talk with these words from the slave-philosopher Epictetus  “He that hath no musical instruction is a child in Music he that hath no letters is a child in Learning the that is untaught is a child in Life.”   _____

14.  Not much can be said in literary terms for the novel of protest its importance, if it has any, is historical.                                                                                _____