Colon and semicolon exercises

​​Ah, the old debate: semicolon vs. colon vs.

Semicolon examples

dash. Whichpunctuation is the right one for the sentence you’re writing? How do you know? Is it a clear-cut choice where one is correct and the others are wrong, or is it more of a stylistic decision, like using theOxford comma?

The confusion surrounding semicolon versus colon versus dash is understandable, but once you’ve learned the basics, the answer is usually clear.

When to use a colon

Colon or semi colon before a list

When to use semicolon

Semicolon examples

Difference between semicolon and comma

There’s rarely a situation where either a semicolon or a colon can be correct; it’s typically one or the other. The same goes for dashes—unless you’re purposely breaking punctuation rules for a stylistic reason (like writing poetry, writing a character’s unique dialogue, or breaking convention to grab readers’ attention), there are right ways and wrong ways to use a dash.

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