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Anonymous Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
Antithesis in Incomplete Sentence: Colon or Semicolon?
Hello, I have a quick question. I wrote an essay on Thursday, and I'm not sure if I punctuated a sentence correctly:
Some repent for a lifetime; others, an eternity.
Was a colon or a semicolon appropriate? I know colons are used with antithesis, but does that still hold true when it's an incomplete sentence? Actually — now that I look at it, I wonder if that comma was even necessary. Hmm... I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake. Oh well.
Some repent for a lifetime; others, an eternity.
Was a colon or a semicolon appropriate? I know colons are used with antithesis, but does that still hold true when it's an incomplete sentence? Actually — now that I look at it, I wonder if that comma was even necessary. Hmm... I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake. Oh well.
Top answer
Yes, no comma. And no colon. Colons easily support clause fragments on their right, but semicolons normally require an independent clause on either hand.
- Yes, no comma.
- And no colon.
- Colons easily support clause fragments on their right, but semicolons normally require an independent clause on either hand.
- The extreme terseness of the second clause makes the structure iffy, but I doubt your teacher will notice anything awry.
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1 Answers
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Yes, no comma. And no colon. Colons easily support clause fragments on their right, but semicolons normally require an independent clause on either hand. The extreme terseness of the second clause makes the structure iffy, but I doubt your teacher will notice anything awry.
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Yes, no comma. And no colon. Colons easily support clause fragments on their right, but semicolons normally require an independent clause on either hand. The extreme terseness of the second clause makes the structure iffy, but I doubt your teacher will notice anything awry.
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