5 things your editor wants you to know about colons & semicolons
5 things your editor wants you to know about colons & semicolons
Including an end to the colon-capitalization debate
Few punctuation marks get writers and editors so fired up as colons and semicolons.
The semicolon is confusing to new writers and contentious to opinionated grammarians. The colon-capitalization conundrum sparks nearly as many deep-deep feelings as the great Oxford comma debate, and you know that runs deep.
These marks are a little slippery and divisive, because their use in a lot of cases depends on style. Whether you employ a comma, period, colon or semicolon is often a matter of tone and clarity — not rules and regulations.
I know. Sorry about that.
5 things your editor wants you to know about colons & semicolons
1. The difference between a colon & semicolon
First things first.
: 👈 This one is a colon.
; 👈 This one is a semicolon.
2. The difference between a dependent & independent clause
This sounds like a detour, but it’s going to pay off in a second.
An independent clause contains a subject and verb and forms a complete thought, i.e. can stand alone as a sentence. For example: He ran for mayor.
A dependent clause contains a subject and verb but doesn’t form a complete thought. For example: …when he ran for mayor…
3. When to use a semicolon
The main use for a semicolon is to connect two independent clauses. (Told you it’d pay off.) You do that when two thoughts are closely-related, so separating them with a period feels weird, even though it’s correct. Here’s an example:
It’s not like he ran for president; he ran for mayor.
It’s not like he ran for president. He ran for mayor.
Catch the difference in tone in those options? I’m feeling like the speaker in the second option is way more over all the fuss everyone is making about this character’s political experience.
You can also use semicolons for clarity:
In a serial list where items include commas:The letter was hand-written; spritzed with pungent, flowery perfume; then signed, sealed and delivered with care.
To connect independent clauses already connected by a conjunction:He couldn’t believe the attention to detail, obvious care and respect she’d poured into the letter; and he was reminded how grateful he was that she loved him.
4. When to use a colon
A colon is the bird dog of punctuation. Its job is to direct your attention to important information. Here are a few ways it does that:
Introduce a list. Like the colon before these bullet points, or in this example: She chose these colors: red, white and blue.
Direct attention to a quote. Steven Pressfield was right: “We must do our work for its own sake.”
Announce a noun phrase.He was everything I needed: rich and generous.
Usually you see a colon linking an independent clause with a phrase or a dependent clause. But you can also use it to link two independent clauses in a place a period or semicolon would also be correct, like this:
Life is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re gonna get.
Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.
Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.
See how the colon in the first option propels you toward the second part of that sentence? Like it’s saying, “And I’ll tell you why.” The semicolon keeps the clauses linked, but it doesn’t point to the punchline with as much emphasis.
5. Should you capitalize after a colon?
I love this question, because the answer is all about ✨style guides✨
AP style (news) and APA style (academia) say to capitalize the first word after a colon when it begins an independent clause — basically, the colon introduces a complete sentence. Chicago style (books) and MLA style (undergrad) say no capitalization.
In all styles, you never need to capitalize the word after a colon in any other situation, like when it leads a list or a dependent clause (man that lesson No. 2 is really paying dividends, isn’t it?).
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Further reading
🧡 When to Use a Semicolon: A Guide to This Quirky But Lovable Punctuation Mark (The Write Life): Grammar aficionado Jamie Cattanach explains the ins and outs of the semicolon with examples in this ultimate guide.
💚 How to Use a Colon (The Punctuation Guide): This quick guide lists all use-cases for the colon, including the ones we don’t think about a ton, like noting time, biblical citations and some math stuff.
💜 Colons vs. semicolons: What's the difference? (Cell Mentor): This article touches on a subtle difference between common uses for the marks in British versus American English.
💙 The semicolon is pointless, and it’s ruining your writing (The Writing Cooperative): Writer Shadi Mirza passionately makes the oft-touted argument that semicolons should share the fate of the Dodo and the actual meaning of the word “literally.”
💛 In defense of the semicolon: What we can learn from this misunderstood punctuation (The Writing Cooperative): A year and a half later, writer Rebecca follows up with an equally passionate defense of the beloved mark.