How to Learn to Use a Colon or Semicolon

Use semicolons to clarify lists. You can think of semicolons like super commas in this case. For example, if you were to list towns in states, you might type "Albany, New York, Dallas, Texas, Boise, Idaho". See all of those unnecessary commas causing confusion? It's neater to simply write "Albany, New York; Dallas, Texas; Boise, Idaho"

Semicolons are used for related but complete (independent) sentence clauses. Instead of saying, "I walked the dog. She chased a car", you would say "I walked the dog; she chased a car." If you use a comma to fix it, make sure you don't do this: "I walked the dog, she chased a car." Note that a semicolon is not just a replacement for a comma: it is more like a replacement for a period. Though you could say, "While I walked the dog, she kept chasing cars," you would not say "While I walked the dog; she kept chasing." This is not acceptable because the first clause is not a complete sentence.

• A semicolon takes the place of a period. You use it in parallel construction.
• For example, if you say I love bananas, and I love apples. Instead of using an and, you can say I love bananas; I love apples.
• Parallel construction means you have the same thing on both sides of the semicolon, subject, verb, subject, verb.

Unlike commas, semicolons almost never use conjunctions. When using a comma, you sometimes need a conjunction, as in "Sarah was hungry, but she didn't want to eat." In contrast, because each clause is capable of being a complete sentence, do not use words such as "and" or "but" after a semicolon. The only case where it is appropriate to use a conjunction is at the end of a list, such as "Phoenix, Arizona; Sacramento, California; and Seattle, Washington."

Colons can be used to start lists. If you are going to list objects, it can be helpful to separate the list with a colon, e.g. "I like four colors: red, yellow, green, and blue."

• You can use colons and semicolons in the same list, but they have different purposes: "He had visited three cities: New York, New York; Miami, Florida; and Los Angeles, California." Be careful when adding both, however as it can appear complicated.
• A colon is typically used for lists that are explicit: you have said he visited three cities, and now you are going to list them. You typically wouldn't use a colon in "I like red, yellow, green, and blue," though it is allowed.

Colons are used to offset a phrase and an explanation or an elaboration. This is a common usage seen on wikiHow, and has been used within this very article: "a colon is typically used for lists that are explicit: you have said he visited three cities, and now you are going to list them."

Colons can be used to offset independent introductory clauses. This encompasses the above uses, but is harder to explain. Think of a long sentence like this one: each half is a separate sentence, but the first half sets up the second.