Punctuating Clauses
English · Grammar & Punctuation · procedural
Use semi-colons, colons, and dashes to mark boundaries between independent clauses, choosing the appropriate punctuation based on the relationship between the clauses
What mastery looks like
- Join two related independent clauses using a semi-colon in place of a conjunction
- Use a colon to introduce an explanation or elaboration of the first clause
- Replace commas with dashes to create stronger pauses between clauses for emphasis
Check your understanding
When Punctuating Clauses writes two closely related sentences, can they join them with a semi-colon or colon — like "It was late; the streets were empty" — rather than always using a full stop or "and"?
Prerequisites
Required first
Helpful