This page focuses on using commas, colons and semi-colons correctly in your writing. The following guide uses some technical terms relating to grammar. If at any point you don't understand a word, and it isn't immediately explained within the text, head to the 'Glossary' section for an explanation.
People frequently make mistakes with commas. Often people put them in where they think there should be a natural break in the writing, or where you might ‘take a breath’. This method doesn’t always work and can lead to problems. This is because using commas incorrectly, or not using them at all, can affect the clarity of your writing. Therefore, it is worth investing some time to learn how to use commas.
Example - 'The survey indicated that there is a need for increased funding, a larger team and more work space.'
Coordinating conjunctions include words like ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘or’, ‘so’ and ‘nor’. You can use a comma before these, but this is not compulsory.
Example - 'The weather conditions for the field work were less than ideal, but it was decided we should go anyway.'
Examples of transition words include ‘however’, ‘furthermore’ and ‘additionally.’
Example - 'However, there have been a number of promising developments in recent years.'
Example - 'The lead researcher, who worked tirelessly on the project, won an award for innovation.'
Example - 'As Jones (2012) notes, ‘there was no clear consensus from the government about what direction to take’.'
This will be needed when you use a subordinating conjunction such as ‘although’, ‘despite’, ‘in spite of’, ‘while’ and ‘before’; when you have a participle phrase; or when you use a relative pronoun to start a non-restrictive dependent clause.
An example with a subordinating conjunction is as follows:
'Although I have never been to Scotland, I have a good understanding of its geography.'
You can also reverse this, as in the sentence below:
'I have a good understanding of the geography of Scotland, although I have never been.'
An example with a present participle (verb + ‘ing’) is as follows:
'The ‘approaches to learning’ section starts with some background information, introducing the key publications used to support the rest of the paper.'
An example with a relative pronoun is as follows:
'The results indicated the predictions were accurate, which is a useful outcome for the project.'
An adverbial phrase adds more information about what is being done, such as where or when.
Example – 'Tomorrow evening, we will start our trip.'
A comma is not usually needed if the adverb at the start of the sentence is only one word (e.g. yesterday).
Visit our 'Common Errors in Grammar' guide, and look at sections 2, 3 and 12 to find out more about common errors in comma usage like Comma Splices, Run-On Sentences, and Misplaced or Omitted Commas.
A colon is used when further explanation or information is needed after a complete statement. It is useful because it can save us words by replacing phrases that we usually need to introduce that information.
There are a few guiding rules for using colons:
'Harrison (2016) gives a comprehensive definition of bullying: ‘seeking to harm, scare, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable’.'
'There are several reasons why spending time on writing an introduction is a good idea: it is the first part of your work people read, it gives background information, and it sets the direction of your work'
'The action needed to reduce the heating costs for the flats are as follows:
'The remedial action is likely to be more costly than expected: more work is needed to excavate the base of the building, which is very time intensive.'
Visit our 'Common Errors in Grammar' guide, and look at section 4 to find out more about common errors in colon usage.
Semi-colons are never an essential piece of punctuation; however, they can make your writing more concise.
This is similar to how you might use a comma in a list, but it emphasises the distinction between items. It is particularly useful when you have lists within lists:
'There are three major government departments in one area of the city: the department for trade, business and enterprise; the department for the environment, food and farming; and the department for energy and climate change.'
You can use a semi-colon when you want to introduce a new idea in the same sentence using a transition word like ‘however’ or ‘therefore’. This may be useful when the two ideas are closely linked:
'There were a number of problems with James’s idea; however, the team decided it would be the best option.'
'The research was likely to fail; it was poorly designed.'
Visit our 'Common Errors in Grammar' guide, and look at section 4 to find out more about common errors in semicolon usage.
