Theme and Main Idea, Colons and Semicolons

In which sentence is a colon used correctly?

• I understand why people love: fishing.

• I don't like boats: they make me very seasick.

• Alissa: she loves her puppy more than she loves her fish.

• Love is what makes: the world go round.

What is the purpose of the colon in the sentence below?

I looked up and saw the last thing I was expecting: the frog prince.

• it links two independent clauses

• it draws attention to the first clause

• it draws attention to the clause ' frog prince'

• it shows a lot of emotion

In the following sentence, where should a colon be added?

Lucija planned to grow several herbs in her garden basil, rosemary and thyme.

• after 'grow'

• after 'planned'

• after 'garden'

• after 'rosemary'

In which sentence is a semicolon used correctly to join two related clauses?

• My sister and I agree on many subjects but disagree on one; the existence of ghosts.

• I saw a ghost at my cousin's house; and I screamed and ran away.

• Ghost are definitely fake; I only like dramatic movies.

• I'm convinced that ghosts are real; I saw a ghost in the attic yesterday.

Read the following passage.

Red pandas are much smaller than giant pandas. They only grow to be about the size of cats. Red pandas live in forests and spend most of their time in trees. Their diet is very simple. They mainly eat bamboo. However, they sometimes also eat fruit, insects, small birds and mammals. They are an endangered species.

Which sentences from the passage would best be linked with a semicolon?

• They only grow to be about the size of cats. Red pandas live in forests and spend most of their time in trees.

• Red pandas are much smaller than giant pandas. They only grow to be about the size of cats.

• Red pandas live in forests and spend most of their time in trees. Their diet is very simple.

• However, they sometimes also eat fruit, insects, small birds and mammals. They are an endangered species.

In which sentence is a semicolon used correctly?

• Anthony took a trip to Boise, Idaho; Seattle, Washington; and Portland, Oregon.

• My favorite flavors of ice cream are chocolate; double chocolate; and mint chocolate chip.

• Some of the properties used to describe minerals include color; luster; hardness; and streak.

• The computer was first invented in the 1940s; but the first laptop was not invented until the 80s.

Correctly punctuate the sentence below using a colon (A) or a semicolon (B).

Gustavo won the greatest prize at the carnival a giant stuffed hotdog.

• : (colon)

• ; (semicolon)

In which sentence is a colon used correctly?

• Marisa: won several awards for her short stries last year.

• Have you ever seen a: horse in the wild?

• It hardly ever shows: in California, but it's a beautiful place to live.

• Devon admires his uncle for two reasons: he's great at rollerblading and building treehouses.

In which sentence is a colon used correctly?

• Despite her father's warnings: Roman walked through the woods and touched poison ivy.

• You may recognize the common name of the plant Toxicodendron radicans: poison ivy.

• Wearing long sleeves and tucking your pants into your socks: protects against poison ivy.

• Noah's rash from the poison ivy: looked very uncomfortable.

In which sentence is a semicolon used correctly?

• The zoo is home to bearded dragons; geckos; and caiman lizards.

• There are many different lizards at the zoo; red-headed agamas, bearded dragons, Gila Monsters and skinks.

• Many people love going to see lizards at the zoo; but it's not my cup of tea.

• The zoo has a large collection of red-headed agama lizards; it recently got two calman lizards, too.