Semicolon Colon Practice Worksheet | PDF - Free Printable

Let me work through each sentence carefully to determine whether a semicolon, colon, or no change (C) is needed.

Sentence 1: "Bert was proud of his new title Vice President of Sales."
- This introduces an appositive/title after "title." A colon is appropriate here to introduce the specific title.
- Answer: Colon after "title" → "Bert was proud of his new title: Vice President of Sales."

Sentence 2: "I have not heard the latest comments therefore, I cannot render an opinion."
- "Therefore" is a conjunctive adverb joining two independent clauses. Need a semicolon before it.
- Remove the comma after "therefore" or keep it? Standard usage: semicolon before, comma after.
- Answer: Semicolon before "therefore" → "I have not heard the latest comments; therefore, I cannot render an opinion."

Sentence 3: "The new officers are as follows, Ron, the president, Hubert, the vice-president, and Don, the secretary."
- "As follows" should be followed by a colon, not a comma. The list items contain internal commas, so this is correct for a colon introduction.
- Answer: Replace comma after "follows" with colon → "The new officers are as follows: Ron, the president, Hubert, the vice-president, and Don, the secretary."

Sentence 4: "The siren blew loudly I rushed to the window, and the police raced past as I looked out."
- Two independent clauses joined without proper punctuation. "The siren blew loudly" and "I rushed to the window, and the police raced past as I looked out."
- Need a semicolon between "loudly" and "I."
- Answer: Semicolon after "loudly" → "The siren blew loudly; I rushed to the window, and the police raced past as I looked out."

Sentence 5: "We took our raincoats, boots, and umbrellas for the cookout."
- This is a simple list within a sentence. No semicolon or colon needed.
- Answer: C

Sentence 6: "My son is a medical technician, my daughter, a postal worker, and my wife, an editor."
- This is a list where items contain internal commas. Semicolons should separate the main items.
- "My son is a medical technician; my daughter, a postal worker; and my wife, an editor."
- Answer: Semicolons after "technician" and "worker"

Sentence 7: "I will sing for the performance, but I will not act."
- Two independent clauses joined by "but" with a comma. This is correct as is.
- Answer: C

Sentence 8: "This quiz covers these topics, nouns, verbs, and pronouns."
- "These topics" introduces a list. Should use a colon after "topics."
- Answer: Replace comma after "topics" with colon → "This quiz covers these topics: nouns, verbs, and pronouns."

Sentence 9: "The house looked like what we wanted on the other hand, we had not been inside."
- "On the other hand" is a conjunctive adverb phrase. Need semicolon before it.
- Answer: Semicolon before "on the other hand" → "The house looked like what we wanted; on the other hand, we had not been inside."

Sentence 10: "The order was requested one week ago however, I expected the package to arrive by now."
- "However" is a conjunctive adverb. Need semicolon before it.
- Answer: Semicolon before "however" → "The order was requested one week ago; however, I expected the package to arrive by now."

Sentence 11: "You asked for forgiveness, he granted it to you."
- Two independent clauses joined only by a comma (comma splice). Need a semicolon.
- Answer: Replace comma with semicolon → "You asked for forgiveness; he granted it to you."

Sentence 12: "Other people did Bob's work for him consequently, the office began to run more smoothly."
- "Consequently" is a conjunctive adverb. Need semicolon before it.
- Answer: Semicolon before "consequently" → "Other people did Bob's work for him; consequently, the office began to run more smoothly."

Sentence 13: "The meeting must include the following people, Mark, Jay, Chris, and Ruby."
- "The following people" introduces a list. Use a colon.
- Answer: Replace comma after "people" with colon → "The meeting must include the following people: Mark, Jay, Chris, and Ruby."

Sentence 14: "In Bob's absence, Harry took care of making copies and answering phone calls."
- This is a complete sentence with no need for semicolon or colon.
- Answer: C

Sentence 15: "Miss Patsy had the thing she really craved power."
- "Power" is an appositive explaining "the thing she really craved." Use a colon or dash. A colon works here.
- Answer: Colon before "power" → "Miss Patsy had the thing she really craved: power."

Let me verify my answers once more before finalizing.

1. Colon after "title" ✓
2. Semicolon before "therefore" ✓
3. Colon after "follows" (replace comma) ✓
4. Semicolon after "loudly" ✓
5. C ✓
6. Semicolons after "technician" and "worker" ✓
7. C ✓
8. Colon after "topics" (replace comma) ✓
9. Semicolon before "on the other hand" ✓
10. Semicolon before "however" ✓
11. Semicolon replacing comma ✓
12. Semicolon before "consequently" ✓
13. Colon after "people" (replace comma) ✓
14. C ✓
15. Colon before "power" ✓

All answers look correct. Let me write them up clearly.