You can use a colon to draw attention to many things in your writing. The categories listed below often overlap, so donโ€™t worry too much about whether your intended use of the colon fits one category โ€ฆ Semicolons (;) separate independent clauses that are related in meaning, and they separate items in a list when those items themselves are long or include commas. For example, this summary could say โ€ฆ Learn how and when to use semicolons (;), colons (:), commas (,), and dashes (โ€“) to make your writing more effective.

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The colon ( : ) and semicolon ( ; ) are frequently used incorrectly in place of each other. The two punctuation marks serve very different purposes, and should not be used interchangeably. A colon is โ€ฆ As a noun use means "purpose." As a verb, use means either "put to work," or "work something until there isn't anything left," unless you use your friend, meaning you exploit her. When to Use a Semicolon vs Colon, Comma, and Em Dash ...

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