Semicolon use

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PeterRabitt20
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Semicolon use

Post by PeterRabitt20 »

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."

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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

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
This is fine but it really should be posted in the International Writing Forum, not in the Review Team Forum.
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PeterRabitt20
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Post by PeterRabitt20 »

MrsCatInTheHat wrote: 27 Apr 2021, 10:49
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
This is fine but it really should be posted in the International Writing Forum, not in the Review Team Forum.

I'll make sure to do so in the future :D .
Thanks
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Post by Juliet+1 »

You may be confusing the semicolon with the colon. Semicolons separate two main clauses that are closely related, so that sentence is not correct. You could use a colon or an em-dash and you wouldn't even need "for instance" or any similar wording.
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Post by PeterRabitt20 »

Juliet+1 wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 12:13 You may be confusing the semicolon with the colon. Semicolons separate two main clauses that are closely related, so that sentence is not correct. You could use a colon or an em-dash and you wouldn't even need "for instance" or any similar wording.
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.
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

PeterRabitt20 wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 09:15
Juliet+1 wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 12:13 You may be confusing the semicolon with the colon. Semicolons separate two main clauses that are closely related, so that sentence is not correct. You could use a colon or an em-dash and you wouldn't even need "for instance" or any similar wording.
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.
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.
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Post by PeterRabitt20 »

MrsCatInTheHat wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 16:11
PeterRabitt20 wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 09:15
Juliet+1 wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 12:13 You may be confusing the semicolon with the colon. Semicolons separate two main clauses that are closely related, so that sentence is not correct. You could use a colon or an em-dash and you wouldn't even need "for instance" or any similar wording.
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.
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.
With something else. "For instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

PeterRabitt20 wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 16:58
MrsCatInTheHat wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 16:11
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.
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.
With something else. "For instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."
Personally, I would use a semi-colon in that situation.
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PeterRabitt20
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Post by PeterRabitt20 »

MrsCatInTheHat wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 17:01
PeterRabitt20 wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 16:58
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.
With something else. "For instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."
Personally, I would use a semi-colon in that situation.
So joining this phrase to the previous sentence with a semicolon, like
"She showed all the symptoms of a gecko morph; for instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."
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MrsCatInTheHat
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

PeterRabitt20 wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 17:08
MrsCatInTheHat wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 17:01
PeterRabitt20 wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 16:58

With something else. "For instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."
Personally, I would use a semi-colon in that situation.
So joining this phrase to the previous sentence with a semicolon, like
"She showed all the symptoms of a gecko morph; for instance, leathery skin, dry lips, and brittle fingernails."
That is how I would write it.
Life without a good book is something MrsCatInTheHat cannot imagine.
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