Grammar worksheet teaching the proper use of colons and semicolons in writing.
Educational worksheet: Colon Worksheets. Download and print for classroom or home learning activities.
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Colon Worksheets
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Colon Worksheets
Let’s work through each section of the worksheet step by step.
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A. Add colons where needed in the sentences below:
Colons are used to introduce a list, explanation, or quote — especially after an independent clause (a complete sentence).
1. “At 10 this morning, we will be leaving for the annual history museum.”
→ No colon needed. This is just a statement with no list or introduction.
2. “Please bring the following items with you: pencil, paper, and a notebook.”
→ Already has a colon! Correct as written.
3. “The bus ran late at 8:00 so you go up.”
→ The “8:00” uses a colon correctly for time. But the rest of the sentence doesn’t need another colon. So only the time needs it — already there.
4. “The special education unit contains the following types: psychiatric units, wax trials, and amputee wards.”
→ Needs a colon before “psychiatric units...” because it introduces a list.
✔ Fix: “...contains the following types: psychiatric units, wax trials, and amputee wards.”
5. “He wrote to his newspaper editor: ‘Dear Sir, please let us know when the upcoming election will be held.’”
→ Colon before the quote — correct!
6. “He told her that he could not make one of the following trips of program: the Emperor’s birthday celebration or the wedding of the King of Norway.”
→ Should be: “...one of the following trips or programs: the Emperor’s...” — wait, typo? Probably meant “programs”. And yes, colon before listing them.
✔ Fix: “...one of the following trips or programs: the Emperor’s birthday celebration or the wedding of the King of Norway.”
7. “We were sure that there would be much to see that we would be bored if we saw the exhibition.”
→ No list, no quote, no explanation needing a colon. Leave as is.
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B. Rewrite the following sentences, adding semicolons where needed.
Semicolons connect two closely related independent clauses (complete sentences) without using a conjunction like “and” or “but”.
1. “Claire is a clever teacher; she is also an inspiring one.”
→ Perfect! Two full thoughts connected properly. ✔
2. “Her lectures are interesting they are full of information.”
→ Missing punctuation between two complete ideas.
✔ Fix: “Her lectures are interesting; they are full of information.”
3. “She has a degree in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.”
→ Wait — actually, the first part (“degree in history and biology”) is NOT an independent clause — it’s a noun phrase. You can’t use a semicolon here unless both sides are complete sentences.
Better fix: Use a comma + “and”, or rephrase. But since instruction says “add semicolons where needed”, maybe they want:
“Her degree is in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.” → Now both sides are independent clauses.
But original says: “She has a degree...” — that IS an independent clause! “She has a degree...” = subject + verb + object → complete sentence.
And “she is an expert...” = also complete.
So YES — semicolon is okay here.
✔ Keep: “She has a degree in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.”
4. “She began her career in advertising; then she ended their with sales positions.”
→ Typo: “ended their” → should be “ended their” → probably “ended her”. Also, “then” makes it feel like a sequence — but semicolon still works if you remove “then” or keep it. Actually, “then” is fine after semicolon.
✔ Fix typo: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended her with sales positions.” → Still awkward. Better: “She began her career in advertising; later, she moved into sales positions.”
But based on original text: assume typo is “her” instead of “their”.
Final version: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended her with sales positions.” → Hmm, “ended her” doesn’t make sense. Maybe “transitioned”? Or “moved to”?
Wait — perhaps it’s “ended her [career] with sales positions” — implied. Acceptable in context.
✔ Final answer: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended her career with sales positions.” (adding “career” for clarity)
Actually, looking again — maybe “ended their” was meant to be “entered”? Unlikely. Let’s stick close to original and fix obvious error:
Original: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended their with sales positions.”
Likely intended: “She began her career in advertising; then she entered sales positions.” OR “...ended her career with sales positions.”
Since we’re rewriting to add semicolons where needed, and the structure is already using a semicolon, we’ll correct the grammar lightly.
✔ Best revision: “She began her career in advertising; then she transitioned to sales positions.”
But if we must stay very close: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended her time there with sales positions.” — too wordy.
Actually, simplest fix: “She began her career in advertising; later, she worked in sales positions.”
But let’s go with minimal change:
✔ “She began her career in advertising; then she moved into sales positions.”
---
Now compiling all corrected answers:
Section A – Colons:
1. No change needed.
2. Already correct.
3. Already correct (only time uses colon).
4. Added colon: “The special education unit contains the following types: psychiatric units, wax trials, and amputee wards.”
5. Already correct.
6. Added colon: “He told her that he could not make one of the following trips or programs: the Emperor’s birthday celebration or the wedding of the King of Norway.” *(Note: assumed “trips of program” was typo for “trips or programs”)*
7. No change needed.
Section B – Semicolons:
1. Already correct.
2. “Her lectures are interesting; they are full of information.”
3. “She has a degree in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.”
4. “She began her career in advertising; then she moved into sales positions.” *(corrected typo and improved flow)*
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Final Answer:
A.
1. At 10 this morning, we will be leaving for the annual history museum.
2. Please bring the following items with you: pencil, paper, and a notebook.
3. The bus ran late at 8:00 so you go up.
4. The special education unit contains the following types: psychiatric units, wax trials, and amputee wards.
5. He wrote to his newspaper editor: “Dear Sir, please let us know when the upcoming election will be held.”
6. He told her that he could not make one of the following trips or programs: the Emperor’s birthday celebration or the wedding of the King of Norway.
7. We were sure that there would be much to see that we would be bored if we saw the exhibition.
B.
1. Claire is a clever teacher; she is also an inspiring one.
2. Her lectures are interesting; they are full of information.
3. She has a degree in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.
4. She began her career in advertising; then she moved into sales positions.
---
A. Add colons where needed in the sentences below:
Colons are used to introduce a list, explanation, or quote — especially after an independent clause (a complete sentence).
1. “At 10 this morning, we will be leaving for the annual history museum.”
→ No colon needed. This is just a statement with no list or introduction.
2. “Please bring the following items with you: pencil, paper, and a notebook.”
→ Already has a colon! Correct as written.
3. “The bus ran late at 8:00 so you go up.”
→ The “8:00” uses a colon correctly for time. But the rest of the sentence doesn’t need another colon. So only the time needs it — already there.
4. “The special education unit contains the following types: psychiatric units, wax trials, and amputee wards.”
→ Needs a colon before “psychiatric units...” because it introduces a list.
✔ Fix: “...contains the following types: psychiatric units, wax trials, and amputee wards.”
5. “He wrote to his newspaper editor: ‘Dear Sir, please let us know when the upcoming election will be held.’”
→ Colon before the quote — correct!
6. “He told her that he could not make one of the following trips of program: the Emperor’s birthday celebration or the wedding of the King of Norway.”
→ Should be: “...one of the following trips or programs: the Emperor’s...” — wait, typo? Probably meant “programs”. And yes, colon before listing them.
✔ Fix: “...one of the following trips or programs: the Emperor’s birthday celebration or the wedding of the King of Norway.”
7. “We were sure that there would be much to see that we would be bored if we saw the exhibition.”
→ No list, no quote, no explanation needing a colon. Leave as is.
---
B. Rewrite the following sentences, adding semicolons where needed.
Semicolons connect two closely related independent clauses (complete sentences) without using a conjunction like “and” or “but”.
1. “Claire is a clever teacher; she is also an inspiring one.”
→ Perfect! Two full thoughts connected properly. ✔
2. “Her lectures are interesting they are full of information.”
→ Missing punctuation between two complete ideas.
✔ Fix: “Her lectures are interesting; they are full of information.”
3. “She has a degree in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.”
→ Wait — actually, the first part (“degree in history and biology”) is NOT an independent clause — it’s a noun phrase. You can’t use a semicolon here unless both sides are complete sentences.
Better fix: Use a comma + “and”, or rephrase. But since instruction says “add semicolons where needed”, maybe they want:
“Her degree is in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.” → Now both sides are independent clauses.
But original says: “She has a degree...” — that IS an independent clause! “She has a degree...” = subject + verb + object → complete sentence.
And “she is an expert...” = also complete.
So YES — semicolon is okay here.
✔ Keep: “She has a degree in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.”
4. “She began her career in advertising; then she ended their with sales positions.”
→ Typo: “ended their” → should be “ended their” → probably “ended her”. Also, “then” makes it feel like a sequence — but semicolon still works if you remove “then” or keep it. Actually, “then” is fine after semicolon.
✔ Fix typo: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended her with sales positions.” → Still awkward. Better: “She began her career in advertising; later, she moved into sales positions.”
But based on original text: assume typo is “her” instead of “their”.
Final version: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended her with sales positions.” → Hmm, “ended her” doesn’t make sense. Maybe “transitioned”? Or “moved to”?
Wait — perhaps it’s “ended her [career] with sales positions” — implied. Acceptable in context.
✔ Final answer: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended her career with sales positions.” (adding “career” for clarity)
Actually, looking again — maybe “ended their” was meant to be “entered”? Unlikely. Let’s stick close to original and fix obvious error:
Original: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended their with sales positions.”
Likely intended: “She began her career in advertising; then she entered sales positions.” OR “...ended her career with sales positions.”
Since we’re rewriting to add semicolons where needed, and the structure is already using a semicolon, we’ll correct the grammar lightly.
✔ Best revision: “She began her career in advertising; then she transitioned to sales positions.”
But if we must stay very close: “She began her career in advertising; then she ended her time there with sales positions.” — too wordy.
Actually, simplest fix: “She began her career in advertising; later, she worked in sales positions.”
But let’s go with minimal change:
✔ “She began her career in advertising; then she moved into sales positions.”
---
Now compiling all corrected answers:
Section A – Colons:
1. No change needed.
2. Already correct.
3. Already correct (only time uses colon).
4. Added colon: “The special education unit contains the following types: psychiatric units, wax trials, and amputee wards.”
5. Already correct.
6. Added colon: “He told her that he could not make one of the following trips or programs: the Emperor’s birthday celebration or the wedding of the King of Norway.” *(Note: assumed “trips of program” was typo for “trips or programs”)*
7. No change needed.
Section B – Semicolons:
1. Already correct.
2. “Her lectures are interesting; they are full of information.”
3. “She has a degree in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.”
4. “She began her career in advertising; then she moved into sales positions.” *(corrected typo and improved flow)*
---
Final Answer:
A.
1. At 10 this morning, we will be leaving for the annual history museum.
2. Please bring the following items with you: pencil, paper, and a notebook.
3. The bus ran late at 8:00 so you go up.
4. The special education unit contains the following types: psychiatric units, wax trials, and amputee wards.
5. He wrote to his newspaper editor: “Dear Sir, please let us know when the upcoming election will be held.”
6. He told her that he could not make one of the following trips or programs: the Emperor’s birthday celebration or the wedding of the King of Norway.
7. We were sure that there would be much to see that we would be bored if we saw the exhibition.
B.
1. Claire is a clever teacher; she is also an inspiring one.
2. Her lectures are interesting; they are full of information.
3. She has a degree in history and biology; she is an expert in her specialty.
4. She began her career in advertising; then she moved into sales positions.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of semicolons and colons worksheets.
