Semicolon use
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- PeterRabitt20
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Semicolon use
Here's a sample sentence (BTW this isn't the exact sentence, but it has a list):
"The house was covered with colorful plants and decorations; for instance, purple pansies, globe-like LED lights, a long creeping vine, and a funny-looking family of gnomes."
Thanks
- MrsCatInTheHat
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This is fine but it really should be posted in the International Writing Forum, not in the Review Team Forum.PeterRabitt20 wrote: ↑27 Apr 2021, 10:34 Can I use a semicolon before a transitional phrase "for instance", "for example", or "such as"? Or would I get a 10-point deduction?
Here's a sample sentence (BTW this isn't the exact sentence, but it has a list):
"The house was covered with colorful plants and decorations; for instance, purple pansies, globe-like LED lights, a long creeping vine, and a funny-looking family of gnomes."
Thanks
- PeterRabitt20
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MrsCatInTheHat wrote: ↑27 Apr 2021, 10:49This is fine but it really should be posted in the International Writing Forum, not in the Review Team Forum.PeterRabitt20 wrote: ↑27 Apr 2021, 10:34 Can I use a semicolon before a transitional phrase "for instance", "for example", or "such as"? Or would I get a 10-point deduction?
Here's a sample sentence (BTW this isn't the exact sentence, but it has a list):
"The house was covered with colorful plants and decorations; for instance, purple pansies, globe-like LED lights, a long creeping vine, and a funny-looking family of gnomes."
Thanks
I'll make sure to do so in the future .
Thanks
- Juliet+1
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- PeterRabitt20
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So if I use "for instance" it should be either as a standalone sentence. I don't like to overwhelm the review with em-dashes or colon, so I like to be able to use "for instance" as a sentence. The problem is that sometimes grammar programs consider it a fragment. But I've seen it used in professional writing.
- MrsCatInTheHat
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Do you mean the whole sentence is "For instance." ? Or will something follow it? If nothing follows it, then it's a fragment that would be marked off for.PeterRabitt20 wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 09:15So if I use "for instance" it should be either as a standalone sentence. I don't like to overwhelm the review with em-dashes or colon, so I like to be able to use "for instance" as a sentence. The problem is that sometimes grammar programs consider it a fragment. But I've seen it used in professional writing.
- PeterRabitt20
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With something else. "For instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."MrsCatInTheHat wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 16:11Do you mean the whole sentence is "For instance." ? Or will something follow it? If nothing follows it, then it's a fragment that would be marked off for.PeterRabitt20 wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 09:15So if I use "for instance" it should be either as a standalone sentence. I don't like to overwhelm the review with em-dashes or colon, so I like to be able to use "for instance" as a sentence. The problem is that sometimes grammar programs consider it a fragment. But I've seen it used in professional writing.
- MrsCatInTheHat
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Personally, I would use a semi-colon in that situation.PeterRabitt20 wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 16:58With something else. "For instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."MrsCatInTheHat wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 16:11Do you mean the whole sentence is "For instance." ? Or will something follow it? If nothing follows it, then it's a fragment that would be marked off for.PeterRabitt20 wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 09:15
So if I use "for instance" it should be either as a standalone sentence. I don't like to overwhelm the review with em-dashes or colon, so I like to be able to use "for instance" as a sentence. The problem is that sometimes grammar programs consider it a fragment. But I've seen it used in professional writing.
- PeterRabitt20
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So joining this phrase to the previous sentence with a semicolon, likeMrsCatInTheHat wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 17:01Personally, I would use a semi-colon in that situation.PeterRabitt20 wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 16:58With something else. "For instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."MrsCatInTheHat wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 16:11
Do you mean the whole sentence is "For instance." ? Or will something follow it? If nothing follows it, then it's a fragment that would be marked off for.
"She showed all the symptoms of a gecko morph; for instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."
- MrsCatInTheHat
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That is how I would write it.PeterRabitt20 wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 17:08So joining this phrase to the previous sentence with a semicolon, likeMrsCatInTheHat wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 17:01Personally, I would use a semi-colon in that situation.PeterRabitt20 wrote: ↑30 Apr 2021, 16:58
With something else. "For instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."
"She showed all the symptoms of a gecko morph; for instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."