Writing for Business - A Whatis.com Blog

Oct 7 2009   2:14PM GMT

Colons and semicolons



Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
Business writing, CIO, colons and semicolons, grammar, introducing lists, punctuation, Quiz

Which is correct?
A bar code symbol typically consists of five _____ a quiet zone, a start character, data characters, a stop character and another quiet zone.
a. parts:
b. parts;


Answer: a

Explanation:
Use a colon to introduce a list. A semicolon joins two independent clauses.

See an entertaining video on advanced punctuation on YouTube.

On Turner Ink, Sarah Turner covers more rules for using semicolons.

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