Starter quiz
- What can a semi-colon join together?
- two words
- two adjectives
- two groups of words that could each make a complete sentence ✓
- two verbs
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- Which version below joins these two sentences correctly using a semi-colon? 'We really enjoyed ourselves. My mum was less impressed.'
- We really enjoyed ourselves my mum; was less impressed.
- We really enjoyed ourselves; My mum was less impressed.
- We really enjoyed ourselves; my mum was less impressed. ✓
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- Match each main clause to a closely-related one to create a sentence that could be joined with a semi-colon.
- We were all furious;⇔the match was cancelled at the last minute. ✓
- Lucas loves art;⇔his sister prefers sports. ✓
- It was nearly Christmas;⇔we were all very excited. ✓
- Which of the following sentences has the semi-colon in the correct position?
- Pausing at the door; the headteacher smiled he was so impressed.
- Pausing at the door, the headteacher smiled; he was so impressed. ✓
- Pausing at the door the headteacher smiled he was; so impressed.
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- Select all of the sentences with a semi-colon in the correct position.
- Before I could finish my lunch, the bell rang; it was time to go back. ✓
- Wincing in pain; Jacob lay on the floor, it had been a hard tackle.
- Mr Martinez smiled; as Jun answered it was a very impressive response.
- Aisha sang beautifully, filling the whole church; it was a beautiful moment. ✓
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- Which of the following sentences uses a semi-colon correctly to join two closely-related ideas?
- Mr Martinez waved at me in the shop; he had recognised me. ✓
- Alex passed the ball to me first; he lives in the next village over.
- Izzy loves to draw; her brother prefers to paint. ✓
- Miss O'Neill drives to school by car; her house is very small.
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Exit quiz
- Which of the following pieces of punctuation might we need to punctuate a detailed list?
- a colon ✓
- commas ✓
- semi-colons ✓
- inverted commas
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- Why does the following list not need semi-colons? 'I bought several items: eggs, milk, cheese and cream.'
- because the items are common nouns
- because none of the items contains a comma ✓
- because the items already contain commas
- because the list is introduce by a colon
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- Why does this list need semi-colons? 'The landscape was filled with exciting noises: the loud, shrill squawk of a bird; the harsh, low growl of a puma; and the chirp of a rodent, scurrying away.'
- the items in the list are very long
- the items in the list contain colons
- the items in the list contain commas ✓
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- For what reasons are there commas in this list? 'She saw incredible things: bright jewels, shimmering in the darkness; mummies, whose bandages were pure white; and beautiful, golden treasures.'
- to demarcate a non-finite (-ing) clause ✓
- to demarcate a relative clause ✓
- between two adjectives in an expanded noun phrase ✓
- to introduce the list
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- Using semi-colons in lists helps reduce ambiguity. What does this mean?
- it is less confusing ✓
- it is easier to see what the list items are ✓
- there are fewer words in the list
- punctuation always helps the reader ✓
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- Which language features are used in the following list item? 'a vast, ice-covered mountain, towering above her head'
- an expanded noun phrase with two adjectives ✓
- a relative clause
- a non-finite (-ing) clause ✓
- an adverbial clause
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- A semi-colon is a piece of punctuation with more than one purpose.
- A semi-colon can be used to separate items in a detailed list in which each item includes commas.
- A semi-colon can help to avoid ambiguity in a detailed list.
Common misconception
Pupils may use commas instead of semi-colons to separate detailed list items.
Reinforce the idea that it would be confusing to separate items containing commas using commas.
Keywords
Semi-colon - a piece of punctuation that can separate items in a detailed list in which each item includes commas
Ambiguity - when the meaning of a sentence or text is unclear to the reader
Colon - a piece of punctuation placed after a main clause that can introduce a list or question
Comma - a piece of punctuation used to separate nouns in a list and to demarcate a non-finite clause or a relative clause
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