In the following sentence would I use a colon, semi-colon, comma, or nothing after the word or? (the area in question is marked with *)
Is it the bones and skin that keep us standing upright*:;,?* or is it something bigger than that, something other than the scientific definition of a human?
What you have here is a compound sentence -- that is, two sentences (or in this case, two questions) put into one. Between the two independent clauses (in this case, questions) you use a comma and one of the coordinating conjunctions -- in this case, "or."
See #2: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sentences.htm#sentence_types
Comma is use after 'or' or any pause.
Writeacher is right.
Alyshan, please be careful about the use of commas after "any pause." Many are just pauses in speech, but have no basis for the use of a comma. The very well stated comma rules in that website above are really nice and concentrated (not too many to remember). Another really good source of information is Lynn Truss's book Eats, Shoots & Leaves. If I'm remembering correctly, she compacts all the comma uses into three general categories, none of which have to do with pauses in speech.
To determine whether to use a colon, semi-colon, comma, or nothing after the word "upright" in the sentence, we need to identify the purpose of the punctuation.
A colon (:) is used to introduce a list or to provide further explanation or clarification. A semi-colon (;) is used to connect two related yet independent clauses. A comma (,) is used to separate items in a list or to separate clauses in a complex sentence.
In the given sentence, the phrase after "upright" ("or is it something bigger than that, something other than the scientific definition of a human?") is a dependent clause providing additional information or clarification to the previous clause. Since it is not an independent clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence, we can rule out a semi-colon.
There is no need for a colon either since there is no list preceding it or a need for further explanation or clarification.
In this case, we use a comma after the word "upright" to separate the dependent clause from the main clause. Therefore, the correct punctuation is: "...keep us standing upright*,* or is it something bigger than that, something other than the scientific definition of a human?"
Remember, when using punctuation, it is important to consider the purpose and structure of the sentence to determine the appropriate choice.