ZENBUN GRAMMAR TOOLKIT

FOR SUPERIOR ESSAYS IN CAMBRIDGE OL/AL ENGLISH

by bunpeiris

Tool 1: colon and semi colon

In the backdrop of the dexterity in which competent writers in English language making use of colon and semi colon to its very limits, I have often wondered why the students have failed to follow suit: instead, all we see is overdependence of comma and full stop. The time is ripe for all to slow down with clusters of short sentences and intersperse them with longer sentences. Colon and semi colon present options. Colon and semi colon serve multiple purposes: preventing ambiguous sentences structure in making lists and outlining explanations; preventing repetitive and dull sentence structures; blending long sentences amongst short sentences.

A woman: without her, a man is nothing.
  [Above is a diabolical (eh!) distortion of the universal truth: the truth is, a woman, without her man tantamounts to nothing. There goes the supreme evidence that without the superior command of colons, you would be sunk in a soup. Santa Maria!]

There were other factors too: the deadly tedium of small-town life, where any change was relief; the nature of current Protestant theology, rooted in Fundamentalism and hot with bigotry; and not least, a native American moralistic blood lust that is half historical determinism, and half Freud.
Robert Coughlan on the rise of Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s.

He [Huey Long] damned and insulted Bigness in all its Louisiana manifestations: Standard Oil, the state’s dominant and frequently domineering industry; the big corporations; the coporation lawyers.
Hodding Carter

The colon [:]

Function of the colon
In modern writing the most common function of the colon is to introduce a specification: the second sentence or clause summarizes, sharpens, or explains the first. The colon also provides a breathing pause prior to the introduction of related information: the reader should look forward to information that follows on from the earlier statement.

[1] To introduce an explanation, conclusion or amplification
[a] Colon can introduce an explanation, conclusion or amplification of an earlier statement.
[b] Colon can assimilate an extension to an earlier statement.
[c] Colon can separates and highlights the second statement, showing that it follows on from the first.

Requirement to make use of the colon
[a] Both sentences or clauses should be complete, and their content should be very closely related. [Exceptions occur]*1
[b] The second sentence/clause should summarize, sharpen, or explain the first.

Caution
Note that if you use colons this way too often, it can break up the flow of your writing. So don’t get carried away with your colons!

Study to acquire a habit of thinking: no study is more important.
Tai chi is more than a form of physical exercise: it is meditation in movement.
After extensive research, the committee came to its conclusion: development could not take place without further funding.
The first principle from which he [Hitler] started was a value judgment: the masses are utterly contemptible.
After a sleepless night, the senator made her decision: she would not seek re-election.
Music is more than a mechanical arrangement of sounds: it is an expression of deep feeling and ethical values.
We covered many of the fundamentals in our writing class: grammar, punctuation, style, and voice.
My roommate gave me the things I needed most: companionship and quiet.
Many graduate students discover that there is a dark side to academia: late nights, high stress, and a crippling addiction to caffeinated beverages.

Shakespeare said it best: “To thine own self be true.”

[Note that it is not necessary intended use of the colon fits one category perfectly.]
[When a complete sentence follows a colon, a capital is recommended but not necessary.]

[2] To set off a list, a summary or a series after a complete main clause
Topics discussed will include:  the structure of viruses, virus families and current concerns in virology.
Students joining the department undertake to: attend all lectures and tutorials, meet deadlines for written work and contribute to tutorials and seminars
It is time for the baby’s birthday party: a white cake, strawberry-marshmellow ice cream, and a bottle of champagne saved from another party.
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistic.   (Benjamin Disraeli)
The drive affords a delightful series of views: mountain vistas, rolling hills, lakefront beaches, and grazing cattle.
The drive affords a delightful series of views: There are mountain vistas, rolling hills, lakefront beaches, and grazing cattle.
The principal parts of a verb in English are: the present tense, the past tense, and the past participle.
The Stearns County Theatrical Company announces the opening of the following plays: Lear, May 10th; Death of a Salesman, June 15th; and Camelot, August 20th.
There are three historical sources of belief: reason or intellect, custom or habit, and inspiration

[3] To make a list of specific reasons to follow the generalization
In the long history of the world men have given many reason for killing each other in war: envy of another people’s good land or their herds, ambition of chiefs and kings, different religious beliefs, high spirits, revenge. [Ruth Benedict]

[4] To introduce quotations [really a kind of specification], especially long, written ones
Shakespeare said it best: “To thine own self be true.”
A master expositor, W.K. Clifford, said of an acquaintance: “He is writing a book  on metaphysics, and is really cut out for it; the clearness with which he think he understands.

[5] To introduce rhetorical questions
The question is: How and to what purpose? 

[6] [Exceptions occur]*1 It is not necessary that the construction following the colon be a complete clause. It can be a phrase or even a single word.
A once-defeated demagogue trying for a comeback, he tried what other demagogues abroad had found a useful instrument: terror. [Wallace Stegner]
Finally, the last point about the man: he is in trouble. [Benjamin DeMott]
What distinguishes a black hole from a planet or an ordinary star is that anything falling into it cannot come out of it again. If light cannot escape, nothing else can and it is a  perfect trap: a turnstile to oblivion. [Nigel Calder]

Occasionally the usual order is reversed, and the sentence begins with the specific word or phrase, which is followed by a colon:
Centering: that act which precedes all others on the potter’s wheel.(Mary Caroline Richards)
The limitation of armaments, the acceptance of arbitration as the natural solvent of international disputes, the relegation of wars of ambition and aggression to the categories of obsolete follies: these will be milestones which mark the stages of the road.
[Note that a main clause does not have to follow the colon; however, a complete main clause generally should precede it.]

Semi-colon [;]

The semi-colon represents a break within a sentence that is stronger than a comma, but less final than a full stop. It enables the writer to avoid over use of the comma and preserves the finality of the full stop.

[1] To separate items in a list
The speakers were: Dr Sally Meadows, Biology; Dr Fred Eliot, Animal Welfare; Ms Gerri Taylor, Sociology; and Prof. Julie Briggs, Chemistry.
The four venues will be: Middleton Hall, Manchester; Highton House, Liverpool; Marsden Hall, Leeds; and the Ashton Centre, Sheffield.
The main points in favour of the system were that it would save time for buying, accounts and on-site staff; it would be welcome by the reception staff; it would use fewer resources; and it would be compatible with earlier systems.

[2] To link sentences which are closely related
Closely related sentences are often linked to emphasize their relationship and to vary the pace of the writing.

Requirement: the semicolon must be both preceded by a complete sentence and followed by a complete sentence.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. [Herein Charles Dickens’ commas are replaced by semi colons]
Today we love what tomorrow we hate; today we seek what tomorrow we shun; today we desire what tomorrow we fear. [Herein Daniel Defoe’s commas are replaced by semi colons]
—————————————————————————————————-
Do not use the semicolon otherwise:
*I don’t like him; not at all.
*In 1991 the music world was shaken by a tragic event; the death of Freddy Mercury.
*We’ve had streams of books on chaos theory; no fewer than twelve since 1988.
*After a long and bitter struggle; Derrida was awarded an honorary degree by Cambridge University.
[All 4of above sentences are wrong.]
______________________________________________________________________
Her court was pure, her life serene;
God gave her peace; her land reposed.   [To the Queen: Lord Alfred Tennyson]

Ishmael, the narrator in Moby-Dick goes to sea, he says, “whenever it is a damp, drizzly November” in his heart and soul; but Ahab, the captain of the ship, goes to sea because of his obsession to hunt and kill the great white whale, Moby Dick.
Sentimentality and repression have a natural affinity; they’re the two sides of one counterfeit coin. [Pauline Kael]
The new Deal was a new beginning; it was a new era of American government. [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.]
Wendell Wilkie was publicly and privately the same man; he was himself.                         [Roscoe Drummond]
All of these newcomers-black and white- toiled under some degree of unfreedom; they were bound servants for greater and lesser terms.[Oscar Haandlin]
Languages are not invented; they grow with our need for expression. [Susanne K. Langer]
He (President Calvin Coolidge) knew precisely what the law was; he did not concern himself with what the law ought to be. [Irving Stone]
Groups are capable of being as moral and intelligent as the individuals who form them; a crowd is chaotic, has no purpose of its own and is capable of anything except intelligent action and realistic thinking.
They contrive, in some manner, to live, and look tolerably well, notwithstanding their despair and the continued absence of their lover; and some have been known to recover so far as to be inclined to take another lover, if the absence of the first for lasted too long.

[3] To omit a conjunction
Omitting the conjunction and using a semi colon, makes a stronger statement, forcing readers to see the contrast for themselves.

With semi-colon	With co-coordinating conjunctions, which traditionally designate both a grammatical and a logical connection. i.e. and, or, but, nor, for, so, yet
I read the book in one evening; it was not very helpful.	I read the book in one evening, but it was not very helpful.
He was nervous about giving the speech; he asked for water several times.	He was nervous about giving the speech, so he asked for water several times.
The deadline has come forward a week; everyone’s help will be needed.	Since the deadline has come forward a week, everyone’s help will be needed.
There was a long pause before he spoke again; the audience remained silent.	There was a long pause before he spoke again yet the audience remained silent.
The chairman, who had been under attack for some time now, tried to call a brief recess; but his opponents, who were beginning to gather steam, shouted him down and continued their barrage.	The chairman, who had been under attack for some time now, tried to call a brief recess, but his opponents, who were beginning to gather steam, shouted him down and continued their barrage.

[4] To link sentences which also use connectors (known as conjunctive adverbs) such as otherwise, however, therefore, as: moreover, nevertheless, thus, besides, accordingly, consequently, instead, hence connectors.

I did not finish reading the text; instead, I watched the news. (Note that the connecting word “instead” is followed by a comma.)

The research is far from conclusive; nevertheless, it has some value in this case.
Dr Suptri argues that the research shows an increase in such occurrences; however, many experts would dispute this.
It was not late; however, we went home.
He was a brave, large-hearted man; and we all honoured him.
Children played about her; and she sang as she worked.
Saturn was long thought to be the only ringed planet; however, this is now known not to be the case.
The two warring sides have refused to withdraw from the airport; consequently aid flights have had to be suspended.

Works Cited

Book:Axelrod, Rise B. & Cooper, Charles R. The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing: Boston, Bedford/St. Martin, U.S.A., Eighth edition
Book: Etherton, Alan. General Certificate English: Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes, 2001
Book: Ivers, Mitchell: The Random House Guide to Good Writing,1991, New York, Random House, U.S.A.
Book: Kane, Thomas S.The Oxford Guide to Writing, 1988, New York, Oxford University Press U.S.A.

Image 1:englishbrain.wikispaces.com, Essay Paragraph Structure
https://englishbrain.wikispaces.com/file/view/Essay_Paragraph_Structure_Burger_2012.jpg/329065510/506×713/Essay_Paragraph_Structure_Burger_2012.jpg  18 January 2016

Image 2: Wiki Educator. “Academic writing/Writing an academic”http://wikieducator.org/Academic_writing/Writing_an_academic_essay. 18 January 2016

Image 3: Pediaa.com “Difference Between Colon and Semicolon” http://pediaa.com/difference-between-colon-and-semicolon/. 25 May 2016