Using semicolons
Colleen is a clever teacher;she is also an inspiring one.
Her lectures are interesting; they are full of information.
She has a college degree in history; world history is her specialty.
She begins her classes by answering questions; she ends them by asking questions.
Put a space after the semicolon in the first sentence. Then all will be correct.
Hi, can you help me with this please? I am taking a online Psychology course. The teacher is a stickler about your punctuation and grammar. The following is my assignment and then my response.
For this assignment, I'd like you to think about your study habits using the information gleaned from the information from the "Psychology in Action" section beginning on page PIA-2.
Make your own thread. First, tell us how you have traditionally studied for exams. Are you satisfied with this method? Has it worked well for you?
Second, have you learned anything new from your readings about how you do (or should) study? Discuss in some detail how this information has changed the way you plan on studying (or hasn't, although I suspect well all could learn something here, including me).
Lastly, comment on at least one other person's techniques in their thread.
Per the syllabus, you need to make your first post by Thursday and you need to post on at least three separate days (replies are posts, as are revisions). You have until Saturday noon to finish.
If I were to describe my study habits, I would say I am a read aloud and note taker kind of person. I would also say I am a last minute crammer as well. Taking notes has always worked for me and reading aloud also helps me to remember what I just read. As far as last minute cramming, I feel it is not a healthy study habit. I tend to draw a blank the next day during the exam. After reading the section on studying, I’ve learned to improve the study habits that I have and the reason why I shouldn’t do the last minute cramming. I also found it interesting they give you tips on how much sleep you should have and as why it is to have a good night rest when studying for an exam.
Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.
Semicolons are used to connect two related independent clauses (complete thoughts) in a sentence. Instead of separating the clauses with a period, you can use a semicolon to show that they are closely connected.
Let's look at the examples:
1. Colleen is a clever teacher; she is also an inspiring one.
- In this sentence, the semicolon is used to connect the two independent clauses: "Colleen is a clever teacher" and "she is also an inspiring one." These two clauses could be separate sentences, but the semicolon shows the close relationship between them.
2. Her lectures are interesting; they are full of information.
- Here, the semicolon connects the independent clauses "Her lectures are interesting" and "they are full of information." Again, the use of a semicolon emphasizes the connection between the two clauses.
3. She has a college degree in history; world history is her specialty.
- In this sentence, the semicolon connects the independent clauses "She has a college degree in history" and "world history is her specialty." The semicolon indicates that these two clauses are closely related and should be considered together.
4. She begins her classes by answering questions; she ends them by asking questions.
- Finally, the semicolon is used to connect the independent clauses "She begins her classes by answering questions" and "she ends them by asking questions." These two clauses express contrasting ideas, and the semicolon helps to draw attention to the relationship between them.
To summarize, semicolons are used to connect two complete thoughts that are closely related. They provide a stronger connection than a period but are not as strong as a coordinating conjunction (like "and" or "but").