COMMA, SEMICOLON, COLON: How do I know which one to use?

COMMA

Use for:
• Separating items in a list
I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
• Before conjunctions (and, but, or, etc.) in compound sentences:
I was late, but I still made it.
• Setting off extra information (non-essential clauses):
My brother, who lives in Spain, is visiting.
• Introductory elements:
After dinner, we watched a movie.

SEMICOLON

Use for:
• Connecting two related independent clauses (complete sentences) without a conjunction:
I have a meeting; it starts at noon.
• Separating items in a complex list (when items already have commas):
We visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Berlin, Germany.

COLON

Use for:
• Introducing a list, explanation, or quote (after a complete sentence):
Bring the following: a pen, a notebook, and your ID.
He had one goal: to win the race.
She said it best: "Never give up."


Remember to check out our other free advanced English punctuation exercises:
Abbreviations 1
Apostrophe usage 1
Capitalization 1
Capitalization 2
Punctuation: Comma or semicolon? 1
Comma, semicolon, or colon? 1

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