8YNE Semi-Colon homework sheet 2

Using Semi-Colons and Colons Sheet 2

 

How did you get on with the questions for your homework? How is your understanding of these punctuation marks now? This homework requires you to mark your own work, consolidate (strengthen) your understanding and assess how much more work you need to do in this area.   

 

Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places and, when Harry told them what was under Quirrell’s turban, Hermione screamed out loud.

 

Q: This is a good example of where a semi-colon has replaced a connective. What connective words or phrases could you have used instead?

 

A: The semi-colon in the sentence above could be replaced by ‘because’ or ‘as’. The fact that they ‘gasped in all the right places’ shows that they were a good audience.

 

Ron and Hermione were a very good audience because / as they gasped in all the right places and, when Harry told them what was under Quirrell’s turban, Hermione screamed out loud.

 

Although using a connective still makes sense here, you can see that the original sentence is stronger. The pause caused by the semi-colon slows the sentence down and allows us to take on board the full meaning.

 

A little extra: Notice that commas are used to add an optional phrase in this sentence: if you take out what’s inside the commas, it still make sense.

 

Ron and Hermione were a very good audience because they gasped in all the right places and Hermione screamed out loud.

 TASK ANSWERS:

 

1.    Answer the following questions in your exercise books, using full sentences for your answers.

a.    Instead of a semi-colon, you can use either a full-stop or a connective.

b.    There must be a main clause either side of the semi-colon.

c.    Semi-colons are never necessary. You can choose to use them, or you can choose to stick with a full-stop or a connective.

d.    A colon is a signal that you are going to introduce something.

e.    Here are 4 things that a colon can introduce: an example, a list, a quotation and an explanation.

 

2.    For each of the sentences below, decide whether the gap needs filling with a comma, full-stop, semi-colon or colon.

a.    Clare is a lovely girl: gentle and kind.

b.    Clare is a lovely girl, a smashing cook and a thoughtful parent.

c.    Clare is a lovely girl; she knows just what to say in a crisis.

d.    Clare is a lovely girl. I think I will have to marry her. OR Clare is a lovely girl; I think I will have to marry her.

Here are some possible answers to the next questions. The ones with an asterisk (*) are ones you may not have thought of, but I have included them here to show you how much you can play around with sentences.

 

a)     The girl was obsessed with television there was no wonder her parents were worried.

The girl was obsessed with television. There was no wonder her parents were worried.

The girl was obsessed with television so there was no wonder her parents were worried.

* There was no wonder her parents were worried: the girl was obsessed with television.

 

b)   As I turned round, I heard a loud thump the cat had upset the goldfish bowl.

As I turned around, I heard a loud thump. The cat had upset the goldfish bowl.

As I turned around, I heard a loud thump because the cat had upset the goldfish bowl.

*I heard a loud thump. As I turned around I saw that the cat had upset the goldfish bowl.

 

c)    The hill was covered in wild flowers it was a beautiful sight.

The hill was covered in wild flowers; it was a beautiful sight.

The hill was covered in wild flowers. It was a beautiful sight.

The hill was covered in wild flowers so it was a beautiful sight.

*It was a beautiful sight: the hill was covered in wild flowers.   

 

d)   The dog snarling and growling snapped at me.

The dog, snarling and growling, snapped at me.

*Snarling and growling, the dog snapped at me.

 

3.    * Optional task. If you attempted this task, go back to it now and proof-read it carefully. Read it out loud, paying attention to every single punctuation mark. Put a tick above the ones you are certain are correct. Correct any that you know you have got wrong, and put a question mark above those you are unsure of.

How did you do? Tick one of the following boxes so I can measure how much work we need to do on this:

 

¨ I am a punctuation wizard. There is nothing I don’t know.

¨ I am fairly confident that I can amaze Mrs Desai with my punctuation power.

¨ I understand more than I did before but my punctuation powers need a bit more work.

¨ I am confused.com. Please save me from punctuation panic.