I found a little typo / The Grammar Lesson Thread.

[Yoyo]

@GregP

The comma is not accepted in the first. That is a classic comma-splice error. You cannot join two complete thoughts with a comma.

“The party sucked. It was boring.” Since this division by period is perfectly acceptable, it’s a tip-off that you actually cannot use a comma. The semicolon is not just “more correct”, it is the only correct way to keep it all as one sentence.

Ok, well thanks, til.

[Philip]

@GregP

Hahah, I was just joining in the ganging up.

Real grammar lesson, though:

Not sure when to use a semicolon? There are two main ways to use it. The first is to separate a list of phrases in which the phrases themselves may contain commas. For example:

“He had three heroes: Bob, the guy who builds things; Frank, a mighty fixer of fences; Erik, the vicious Viking.”

The second is to join two complete but related thoughts together. The key to understanding this one is recognizing whether the two thoughts could also stand alone as complete sentences. For example:

“He wasn’t the most technically-accomplished thrower; he was the most interesting thrower.”

This could easily be two sentences and still work just fine. As another example of the same structure, the semicolon is commonly found in conjunction with the word “however”; however, when used this way the word “however” must be preceded by the semicolon and followed by a comma.

Actually, there is a third situation to use a semicolon. When you have a compound sentence composed of two rather long sentences, you may use a semicolon and a coordinating conjunction instead of a comma and a conjunction in order to more thoroughly separate the sentences.

[stuarttw]

@GregP

I figured you meant both, so I already took that into account. In fact, I think that’s the majority of what my previous reply addressed. You cannot use a comma in place of a semicolon.

“I don’t usually like heavy yoyos, however, I do like the H5xChief.”

The above has a comma splice error. You would need a semicolon to correct it. You could alternatively break it into two sentences. I’m not saying you’re wrong just yet… but I would need to see an example illustrating interchangeable semicolon and comma before I believed you.

I like to yoyo; I like to yoyo; and I like to yoyo. It works with lists.

[Philip]

@stuarttw

I like to yoyo; I like to yoyo; and I like to yoyo. It works with lists.

you should be using commas

[stuarttw]

@Philip

you should be using commas

Well, it’s acceptable this way.

[jbritter3]

@stuarttw

Well, it’s acceptable this way.

That’s acceptable from a preschool teacher.

#shotsfired

[Philip]

@stuarttw

Well, it’s acceptable this way.

Actually not.

[stuarttw]

@Philip

Actually not.

Maybe this is better. Bob likes food, yoyos, and other stuff, and Joe likes …

[Nemyo (Owen)]

Educate me on the proper uses of the following: The comma and the colon. btw ill pay you in LOOOVEEEE

[GregP]

Philip, I agree. But that’s not a third way; that’s the complete thoughts point. It was just semantics in the explanation… a complete sentence must be made from a complete thought containing a subject (sometimes implied) and a predicate. So the joining you described is exactly the joining I described as my second scenario.

stuart, you wouldn’t divide a list with semicolons unless the individual list items themselves contained commas. Period.

(see what I did there? Hee hee)

Owngry, the colon is used mainly to introduce either a thought or a list.

“I will tell you this: I love to yoyo.”

“Obtain the following: a yoyo, a polyester string, and a nice dry bearing.”

[Philip]

@GregP

Period.

This is a fragment.

[GregP]

@Philip

This is a fragment.

Yup.

The great thing about being accomplished in a language is that you know all the rules and you know the appropriate times to break them!

[Philip]

@GregP

Yup.

The great thing about being accomplished in a language is that you know all the rules and you know the appropriate times to break them!

i. know. i’m. just. having. fun. breaking. rules. hehehe

[yooldman]

There is only one time you need to use a semi-colon on the forum,