What is the correct punctuation in English:
There are two types of insectsXX
a) white
b) black
Should the punctuation at XX be “;” or “:”?
punctuation
What is the correct punctuation in English:
There are two types of insectsXX
a) white
b) black
Should the punctuation at XX be “;” or “:”?
Best Answer
List form:
In your question, you provided an ordered list.
In list form, I would only use the colon.
Sentence form:
1) In addition to the semicolon and colon, you could also use a comma. This is simpler and more common than the semicolon.
I prefer commas when there is a dependent clause afterwards.
2) When using the semicolon, I would expect other commas which would create ambiguity or confusion. However, in this case, it would be the most complicated option, and it is better to avoid it and better to create another sentence instead of an unwieldy one.
With commas:
With semicolons:
In another case, I would use a semicolon for independent clauses:
From Nishant's example, I would put a comma before the conjunction between "the white insect is white in color" and "the black insect is black in color" because they are two independent clauses:
3) The colon is the other useful option besides the comma.
You can use a colon for lists.
However, if a dependent clause comes afterwards, it changes the meaning of the sentence.
This above sentence says that there are only two types of insects in existence, and they all live on "my kitchen table".
If you wanted the same meaning as "There are two types of insects, white and black, on my kitchen table", then you would have to move the dependent clause before the colon.
Recommended:
Try to keep the colon as close as possible to what it is listing about.
Unrecommended:
Although the above sentence is unrecommended, it is still correct because logically, a list of two items (white and black) will describe the "two types of insects" rather than the one kitchen table.