The colon can be used to give details of a word or phrase before it:
I have many hobbies: running, dancing and playing the violin.
I’ve got quite a few things to do this weekend: do the shopping, put my winter clothes away and collect my friend from the airport.
The islands have many attractions: wonderful beaches, a vibrant nightlife, good shopping and an interesting history.
The colon (:) can also be used before a direct speech quotation and after a greeting in a letter:
He thought for a moment and then said: ‘Yes, I’ll buy the house.’
(the start of a letter) Dear Sir:
The main use of a semicolon (;) is to replace a full stop between sentences when we want to connect the two sentences more closely. However many writers rarely use semicolons.
The silence was broken by a muffled thump. It was the sound of feet landing on the thick rug; we were not alone in the house.
A single dash (-) marks a break in a sentence. The reader is asked to pause for a moment before continuing.
This day would be the best day of her life. Today she would be rid of the biggest problem in her life – her husband.
Writers can use two dashes to separate information that is not essential to the rest of the sentence.
He stepped out of the car – not the most expensive he could find – and checked he had all the photos.
Lesson by Tristan, English teacher at EC Malta English school
Decide whether the following can have a colon (:), semicolon (;) or a dash (-)
