Page 51 - Improve_Your_Written_English [Marion_Field]

PO L ISH ING U P Y O U R P U N CTU AT IO N / 37

Using commas in direct speech
Always use a comma to separate direct speech from the rest
of the sentence unless a question mark or an exclamation
mark has been used. There will be more about direct speech
in the next chapter.

He pleaded, ‘Let’s go to McDonalds.’

‘I can’t,’ she replied.

MAKING USE OF THE SEMICOLON, THE COLON
AND THE DASH

Using the semicolon
The semicolon is a useful punctuation mark although it is not
used a great deal. It can be used when you don’t feel you
need a full stop; usually the second statement follows closely
on to the first one. Don’t use a capital letter after a semi-
colon.

It was growing very dark; there was obviously a storm
brewing.

The idea of ‘a storm’ follows closely the ‘growing very dark’.
A full stop is not necessary but don’t be tempted to use a
comma. A semicolon can be used to separate groups of
statements which follow naturally on from one another:

The storm clouds gathered; the rain started to fall; the
thunder rolled; the lightning flashed.

A semicolon can also help to emphasise a statement: