By Adrienne Bernhard
Grammar is tricky, and most of us shy away from the stress of subject-verb agreement and tedious punctuation rules.
Who needs apostrophes anyway? But grammar isn’t just decorative; it’s technical. Form is inseparable from function, and mastering grammar allows us to communicate our ideas clearly, efficiently, and unambiguously. Punctuation, in particular, is a useful skill for performing well on the SAT/ACT and writing a technically flawless college admissions essay.
Punctuation can help us join ideas—also known as independent clauses. An independent clause is a sentence that can stand alone, with a subject, verb, and the expression of a complete thought. Joining ideas through punctuation is a way to help the reader make connections, and to vary your syntax so that your writing doesn’t sound choppy or fragmented. These punctuation marks all JOIN ideas; the only punctuation mark that separates complete sentences is a period.
Semicolons ;
Semicolons can be used to JOIN two independent clauses. Semicolons join related ideas, and suggest a relationship between the two clauses. Clauses can be related chronologically, through cause and effect, etc.
Let’s take a look at an example:
“Call me tomorrow; you can give me an answer then.”
Can you explain how and why these sentences are related?
“We have paid our dues; we expect all the privileges listed in the contract.”
How about this one? Why would we use a semicolon and not a period, which separates clauses?
Colons :
Colons join equivalent ideas. You can think of them like an equals sign in math, although in writing, sentences are only ever approximately equal. Beyond their use in lists, with which you may be familiar, colons can be used to announce, introduce, or direct attention to a noun or noun phrase, a quotation, or an example/explanation/definition.
Let’s take a look at an example:
Lists/series example:
We covered many of the fundamentals in our writing class: grammar, punctuation, style, and redundancy.
Noun/noun phrase example:
My roommate gave me the things I needed most: companionship and solitude.
Quotation example:
Shakespeare said it best: “To thine own self be true.”
A caveat: avoid the common mistake of using a semicolon to replace a colon.
Incorrect: I have one goal; to find her.
Correct: I have one goal: to find her.
Can you explain why?
The Interrobang ?!
Punctuation can also allow us to express emotion. The interrobang is a whimsical punctuation mark that combines the functions of a question mark with the enthusiasm and excitement of an exclamation point. A sentence ending with an interrobang asks a question in an excited manner, expresses excitement, disbelief or confusion in the form of a question, or asks a rhetorical question. Use these sparingly, and enjoy.
Example: “You call that a hat?!”
Grammar Fundamentals Course
Looking to sharpen your writing skills this summer? Join our Grammar Fundamentals Course, part of our comprehensive summer program. In this course students will learn how to spot and fix grammatical errors while proofreading their own work, develop methods to improve syntax, investigate informal discourse and trending language, and identify ways to strengthen prose without damaging an author’s voice.
