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Snarf Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Colon vs. Period
"I'm proud of you, son" he said. "Wow, look at my boy. Seven years old already. Where does the time go?”
Would it be better if there was a colon after boy, so that it read, "Wow, look at my boy: seven years old already. Where does the time go?"
Would it be better if there was a colon after boy, so that it read, "Wow, look at my boy: seven years old already. Where does the time go?"
Top answer
It would be better than a period since seven years old already isn't a sentence. I would use a comma. Or, if the dialogue is intended to be exclamatory… Wow, look at my boy!
- It would be better than a period since seven years old already isn't a sentence.
- I would use a comma.
- Or, if the dialogue is intended to be exclamatory… Wow, look at my boy!
- Seven years old already!
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8 Answers
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It would be better than a period since seven years old already isn't a sentence. I would use a comma.
Or, if the dialogue is intended to be exclamatory…
Wow, look at my boy! Seven years old already!
Or, if the dialogue is intended to be exclamatory…
Wow, look at my boy! Seven years old already!
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Snarf"I'm proud of you, son" he said. "Wow, look at my boy. Seven years old already. Where does the time go?”Would it be better if there was a colon after boy, so that it read, "Wow, look at my boy: seven years old already. Where does the time go?"It's good with the period. People often do not speak in complete sentences, the meaning is clear, and the cadence
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SnarfWould it be better if there was a colon after boyIt would not be better. It would be worse.
CJ
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Why not a semicolon?
The semicolon ( ; ) has a few uses.
Use a semicolon to separate two related but independent clauses. Note that, if the two clauses are very wordy or complex, it is better to use a period (full stop) instead.
People continue to worry about the future; our failure to conserve resources has put the world at risk.
Use a semicolon to separate a complex serie
The semicolon ( ; ) has a few uses.
Use a semicolon to separate two related but independent clauses. Note that, if the two clauses are very wordy or complex, it is better to use a period (full stop) instead.
People continue to worry about the future; our failure to conserve resources has put the world at risk.
Use a semicolon to separate a complex serie
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4444mvWhy not a semicolon?Because you don't have two independent clauses and you don't have a list.
CJ
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It is clear now. I didn't take into consideration that they were not independent clauses.Thank you!
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What about this one?:
"Take my advice, John. Continue doing what you’re doing and you'll always be disappointed, falling flat on your face each and every time. It'll always be far fetched for you to live the way I do: one success story after another."
Should there be a colon after "John" instead of a period? The reason I'm apprehensive about it is that I don't want it to get conf
"Take my advice, John. Continue doing what you’re doing and you'll always be disappointed, falling flat on your face each and every time. It'll always be far fetched for you to live the way I do: one success story after another."
Should there be a colon after "John" instead of a period? The reason I'm apprehensive about it is that I don't want it to get conf
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I think that Take my advice, John is one sentence and Continue doing.... is another independent sentence that means if you continue..... so a period after John would be correct. Am I right?
As regards far-fetched, this is the way it is written in the dictionary.
As regards far-fetched, this is the way it is written in the dictionary.
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