Punctuation, Part 2

In the post below I have briefly discussed what I have learned after reading three more topics from the punctuation section of Rules for Writers.

The three additional topics I read from the Rules for Writers books were:

1. The semicolon
2. The colon
3. Other punctuation marks

The Semicolon

Semicolons are not something that I commonly use when writing. This section taught me that semicolons should be used between closely related clauses that aren't joined by the words 'but' or 'and'. If you only use a comma the sentence becomes a run-on and loses its meaning.

The Colon

Colons are also another form of punctuation not commonly used in my writing career. This section was pretty self explanatory, such as putting a colon before lists or summaries and explanations. It also taught me that colons should not go after words like "such as", "for example", or "including". These types of words are better suited with a semicolon.

Other Punctuation Marks

There are many other forms of punctuation used when writing. This section discussed when and how to use things such as dashes, parenthesis, and ellipsis. Whenever a dash is used a space should come before and after it, something that I was not previously aware of.  Dashes are primarily used when there is a dramatic shift in tone or thought. The rules for parenthesis and ellipsis's were intuitive so those sections did not teach me much.

Hartley, Linda. "defining learning". January 24, 2010 via flickr.
Attribution 2.0 Generic License

While going through my draft I did not see many instances where semicolons, colons, or punctuation marks were misused. If anything, I certainly had more simple grammatical errors. I was, however, able to find a couple of instances where the use of a semicolon or a colon would have been more effective. 

"When talking with this man about the dangers of high aluminum content in the soil, they are surrounded by a much more positive environment. The sky is clear, the sun is bright . . ."

"Human and the environment, a parasitic relationship that feeds off of one another to survive."

In both of these examples pulled from my draft they would have been much more effective if a semicolon had been added. For the first example, by adding a semicolon I am showing my readers that the two ideas are connected, rather than separated. Adding a semicolon in place of a comma in the second one would also better show how the two ideas are connected.