Grammar Handouts



Colons

A colon can be a mysterious punctuation mark.  Students frequently find themselves unsure about the correct use of a colon.  Here are some guidelines for using colons:
  • After an independent clause, use a colon to present a quotation.
In his speech, Joe pondered existence: "What, then, is the meaning of life?"
  • Use a colon to present a list.
At your trip to the grocery store, please pick up the following: milk, eggs, yogurt, orange juice, and cheese.
  • To introduce an appositive, use a colon after an independent clause.
Dorothy decided to take two classes: Western Civilization and Business Communication.
  • Sometimes an independent clause explains or clarifies another.  Use a colon in between the two.
My English mid-term is very important: it counts for 40 percent of my grade.
  • Also use a colon after the greeting in a formal letter, between hours and minutes, in bibliographies, and in biblical citations.
Dear Dr. Morris:

12:45 a.m.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997.

John 3:16

Beware of common errors!

  • After a preposition or a linking verb, do not use a colon.

Two types of affordable cars are: Geo and Kia.

I ordered my hamburger with: pickles and mustard.

Semi-Colons

A semi-colon is another commonly misused punctuation mark.  It is used far less frequently than the colon.  Semi-colons connect two independent clauses (full sentences).  For example:

Danny was horrified; the scene made him sick to his stomach.

Of course, these two short sentences could each end with a period; that would be correct.  But, using a comma in between the two clauses would be a comma splice.

 

Comma Splices

A comma splice happens when a writer puts a comma in where it doesn't belong.  For instance, the following sentence has a comma splice:

Mary went to the mall, and walked around.

In order for a comma to be correct, the second verb in the sentence, "walked," would need its own subject.  So, to use a comma appropriately in this sentence, a writer would write:

Mary went to the mall, and she walked around.

Or, a writer could delete the comma from the first example, and the sentence would be correct.

 

Subject/Pronoun Agreement

Subject/Pronoun Agreement is a common oversight in student papers.  When writing, it is easy to lose track of the subject of the sentence.  Then, when it comes time to refer to it again, the writer often chooses a pronoun that does not represent the subject appropriately.  For example,

A person should never have been subjected to injury because they have a right to be safe.

"A person" is the subject, but in the second part of the sentence, the writer refers to that one person as "they."  The subject and pronoun are in disagreement.  The sentence should read:

A person should never have been subjected to injury because he/she has a right to be safe.

 

Subject/Verb Agreement

Subject/Verb Agreement is one of the first things writers learn, but it's easy to make a mistake in complex sentences.  For example:

John, along with his friend, go to the water park every summer.

Although more than one person goes to the water park, "John" is the only subject of the sentence.  Therefore, the verb "to go" should be in the third person singular: John, along with his friend, goes.

 

Passive Verbs

The term "passive verbs" flies around English classes with no real explanation of what it means.  Simply put, being passive means that a student writer uses the verb "to be" with another verb that could stand alone.  For example,

The author is asserting that the main character has no hope.

The writer of this sentence can delete the word "is," a form of the verb "to be" and use the present tense of the verb "assert," which is very strong.

The author asserts that the main character has no hope.

Last Modified: October 25, 2005