Semicolons are useful signals that help readers negotiate the highway of English. If the period is a red light (stop for a while), and the comma is a flashing yellow light (slow down briefly), the semicolon is a flashing red light.

More specifically, the semicolon is useful in four situations:

1. Uniting: When you want to show that two complete thoughts are closely connected, but you don’t want to use a conjunction, you can join them with a semicolon.
2. Pausing: Even when you use a conjunction between two complete thoughts, you sometimes want the reader to pause a bit longer, so you place a semicolon before the conjunction.
3. Separating: When using conjunctive adverbs, you should separate these from the preceding clause with a semicolon. (Conjunctive adverbs include “therefore,” “accordingly,” “however,” “nevertheless,” “besides,” “consequently,” “moreover,” “thus,” “then,” “hence,” and “indeed.”)
4. Clarifying: When you are listing items in a series and some of those items contain internal commas, you can avoid confusion by separating the items with a semicolon.

 

Try It!

Insert semicolons into the following sentences where appropriate.

1. My favorite places to visit are Richmond, Virginia, Washington, DC, and, Las Vegas, Nevada.
2. He knew he could punish his daughter, but he just could not do it.
3. The park was in chaos, the looters had destroyed the playground.
4. Cameron was a cutie, he had the best smile that brightened everyone’s day.
5. I need a pencil, some paper, and a ruler, but I won’t need them until tomorrow.

 

Answers:

1. My favorite places to visit are Richmond, Virginia; Washington, DC; and, Las Vegas, Nevada.
2. He knew he could punish his daughter; but he just could not do it.
3. The park was in chaos; the looters had destroyed the playground.
4. Cameron was a cutie; he had the best smile that brightened everyone’s day.
5. I need a pencil, some paper, and a ruler; but I won’t need them until tomorrow.

We all know that double quotation marks should go around direct quotations and the titles of shorter works such as articles, poems, and chapters, but when is it appropriate to use single quotation marks?

Nested Quotes

Single quotation marks are most commonly used to set off quotes within quotes. Whenever you are quoting someone who is quoting someone else, enclose the primary speaker’s words in double quotation marks and the secondary speaker’s words in single quotation marks.

During an interview with John Smith, Smith said, “I was able to catch the fish once Bill yelled, ‘Reel her in!’”

Headlines

It is also customary to use single quotation marks for quotes within headlines in newspapers and publications.

Lincoln: ‘The war has begun’

 

Try It!

Place the appropriate quotations in the marked spots.

1. _Alice saved my life when she screamed, _Look out!_ said Bill.
2. A headline: Senator is _ecstatic_ about new policies.

 

Answers:

1. “Alice saved my life when she screamed, ‘Look out!’” said Bill
2. Senator is ‘ecstatic’ about new policies.

 

The main clause of a sentence, like all other clauses, consists of a subject and a verb. However, a main clause also is a complete thought. A main clause is also known as an independent clause or a simple sentence. Generally, though, the term main clause refers to the independent clause within a sentence that contains other phrases or clauses.

Simple Sentences
I forgot to get the mail.
I asked Dave to pick it up.

Main Clauses in Sentences
I forgot to get the mail, so I asked Dave to pick it up.
I asked Dave to pick up the mail, because I forgot to get it.

As shown above, a sentence consisting of only a main clause is considered a simple sentence. In addition, there are three other types of sentences: compound, complex, compound-complex.

A simple sentence has only one subject and one predicate.

Sally ran across the yard. [Subject + Verb + Object]

A compound sentence has at least two main clauses.

Sally ran across the yard, and Jane followed behind her. [Main Clause, and Main Clause]

A complex sentence has one main clause and at least one subordinate clause.

As soon as Sally ran across the yard, Jane followed behind her. [Adverb Clause, Main Clause]

A compound-complex sentence has at least two main clauses and at least one subordinate clause.

As soon as Sally ran across the yard, Jane followed behind her; at the end of the yard they turned and ran back. [Adverb Clause, Main Clause; Main Clause]

In addition to these four types of sentences, sentences may be classified according to their purpose.

Declarative [Statement]: Sally ran across the yard.
Imperative [Request or Command]: Run across the yard.
Interrogative [Question]: Did she run across the yard?
Exclamatory [Exclamation]: Sally ran across the yard!

 

Try It!

Find the main clauses and the subordinate clauses/phrases in the following sentences. Then, classify the sentences.

1. The sale advertisement showed my favorite items, and I immediately went to the store to make a purchase.
2. The two clouds in the sky make the image of a heart and an arrow, but they dissipate as the clouds quickly move.
3. Though my mother can get on my nerves, I am sometimes glad that she is around; her support has helped me achieve success in life.
4. My cat enjoys sitting in my chair beside me; he sits with his legs on the chair and his arms on the armrest, looking like a miniature human.
5. Sally is a chocolate lover; Carl must hide his chocolate if he wants any after Sally leaves, as experience has showed him.

 

Answers:

1. Main Clause, and Main Clause. Compound
2. Main Clause, but Main Clause. Compound
3. Subordinate Clause, Main Clause; Main Clause. Compound-complex
4. Main Clause; Main Clause, Subordinate Phrase. Compound-complex
5. Main Clause; Main Clause, Subordinate Phrase. Compound-complex

A gerund is a word that ends in –ing and is acting as a noun. All gerunds end in –ing, but not all –ing words are gerunds; only the ones that are acting as nouns.

If pronouns are placed before gerunds, the pronouns must be in the possessive form.

Correct: My going to the mall left Stacie home alone.

Incorrect: Me going to the mall left Stacie home alone.

 

Try It!

Find the gerunds in the sentences below, and verify that the gerunds have pronouns, not nouns, before the gerunds.

1. My parents are going shopping because them shopping always lowers their stress levels from work.
2. Us going to the party will be a surprise for Chris.
3. I am writing a paper for school because me writing it will get me a better grade.
4. She was surprised at them going to the library.
5. Him falling off the swings led to him getting stitches on his leg.

 

Answers: 1. “them shopping” should be “their shopping” 2. “Us going” should be “our going” 3. “me writing” should be “my writing” 4. “them going” should be “their going” 5. “Him falling” should be “His falling”

I have learned that I am rare.

I have met many people who have degrees and were originally pursuing careers in other fields and ended up accepting publishing positions, and then staying and enjoying them.

I originally went to school to pursue a career in the publishing field: I have an undergraduate degree in English and certificates in editing, book publishing, and professional editing. The skills that I learned from these courses qualified me to be hired for my first job in the field as an assistant editor for a magazine. When a local university began offering a master’s degree in publishing, I applied and successfully completed the work to obtain the degree.

Though I did not plan to be a business owner, I grew up loving books and felt drawn to the industry. I thought that I wanted to be a teacher but became tired of the public school system. Then, I decided I wanted to write but struggled to make a living writing creatively. So, I decided to become an editor. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be involved in the publishing of books. The process amazes me; there are so many people involved in the creation of something so beautiful and so wonderful.

Since then, I have completed several indexing courses offered by the USDA Graduate School and the University of California. It felt natural to become an indexer to further my education and expand my services. In addition, I have obtained certificates in book publishing, editing, and professional editing. I am continually finding new courses to take or certificates to complete. Being involved in the publishing business provides the opportunity to further my love for the written word. I am a lover of learning, and I have found my calling.

And now, I became the executive director of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors. It seems that I can never get enough of this industry!