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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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."