Trouble often arises when dealing with combining sentences. It's good you're taking a look at this - very good.  How many of you have wondered how to use a colon? A Semi-Colon? How about a Hyphen?  Well, this piece of literature will keep your head spinning for a while. Not because you are going to be confused, but because a rather large amount of information.  However, you shouldn't let that stop you from becoming a better writer, right?  So, let us continue with the lesson on...

Colons:

        The main use of a colon is when one wants to link a lead-in(a sentence that can stand alone, but will be used to bring in two or more primary subjects) with the items(subjects)  that will be introduced by the lead-in.

Confused?  Well, look at the sentence below:

I ordered many items on the list_(Lead-in): tomatoes, chips, bread, milk, Gatorade, and pasta_(items).

Another example:

There are two different genders_(Lead-in): Male and Female_(items).

They may be stupid examples, but they do get the point across, I hope.

Here are some rules that go with using Colons:

1.  Don't use a colon if the lead-in isn't a complete sentence.
2.  Don't use a colon unless the items absolutely have to occur at the end of your sentence.

And remember, the lead-in and the items introduced can also be in the form of a numbered or bulleted list.

        There are many different site on the internet that will offer you quizzes on the various subjects I am present you.  If you are aiming to be a writer, I encourage you to take these little quizzes - whether or not you feel you should.

Now, let us take a look at the dreaded…

Semicolon:

        The semicolon isn’t the kind of punctuation that is used on an everyday basis. The only reason for this, however, is that no one knows what to use it for.  It’s actually quite simple, so pay attention closely.

A semicolon is only to be used when linking two Independent Clauses¹ together to form one sentence. For example:

I am going to the garden; I intend to weed.

                             Or

It rained all afternoon; we were able to have the fire anyway.

        You see, the idea is simple.  Semicolons occur between two independent clauses, thus they are often referred to as the strong commas.

Q:  Couldn’t these independent clauses be considered two separate sentences?

A:  Yes, they most certainly can be considered two different sentences.

Q:  So, why don’t we just leave them as two different sentences then?

A:  Take a look at the sentences again.  They relate so well, we simply are able to write it this way.  

        It is not imperative to place a semicolon in these sentences. It would be much easier for each of us to simply put a comma and a conjunction in place of the semicolon.  For example,

Instead of

It rained all afternoon; we were able to have the fire anyway.

a writer can simply write it as

It rained all afternoon, but were able to have the fire anyway.

        It is much easier, isn’t it?  You may all be wondering - why do we use semicolons at all?  It is to show readers that the two sentences are certainly relative to the same idea. Personally, I like using it for that reason, and so that I can put a little bit of pepper in my pieces of literature.  Remember, using the same thing constantly can become boring to the author and the reader, so add a little pepper and salt.

        Here’s another way to add some character to your literature.  You can use..

Hyphens

        It is commonly believed that “hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas. This is possibly because the hyphen has no analogue in speech; it is punctuation created purely by the needs of print(or writing).”²

        Since I’ve been writing, I’ve noticed this to be true.  While some people know how and when to use a hyphen, most do not. But, who can blame them?  There is absolutely no definitive rules on when to use a hyphen; many different organizations and countries have their own “rules” per say, but since the world is so interconnected, the ideas and rules of each country have morphed.  All I can do is give you the basic rules of hyphenation and hope that you learn and use it well.

        Though the most common use of the hyphen is to split words that do not fit on a line of type, it is also used for various other punctuation instances. Hyphens are also used for compound words and compound modifiers.

        Compound words are considered to be either temporary or permanent.  Temporary compound words are created by a writer for his/her particular use and will most likely not be found in a dictionary, but permanent compound words are able to be found in a dictionary.  Examples of hyphenated compound words are ill-favored, Austro-Hungarian(combining countries), half-timbered(half- compound words are usually hyphenated except for permanent compounds), etc.  

        Compound modifiers are two or more words that are combined to express a single concept.  However, it is important to remember that compound modifiers are hyphenated whenever they appear before a noun or in phrases in which the relationship among the words might be ambiguous or confusing.

We work in high-growth companies.

Let’s take a look at that sentence in detail.

We work in high-growth(compound modifier) companies(noun).

        After taking a closer look at the above sentence, it is clear that the compound modifier is hyphenated for the simple reason that it comes before the noun. These are the basics of Hyphenation as we know, but below are a few other must rules that speak for themselves.

1.  Do not use a hyphen after an adverb ending with -ly
2.  Use a hyphen in expressions where words have become linked by usage to express one idea, such as father-in-law, x-ray, etc.
3.  Do not use a hyphen in chemical terms
4.  When written as words, fractions and cardinal numbers consisting of two words are hyphenated.
5.  Hyphenate words prefixed by ex-, self-, or all-, and some words prefixed by cross-
6.  Do not hyphenate words prefixed by pre, re, post, out, bi, counter, de, non, un, in, dis, co, anti, hyper,  semi, mis, mega, micro, inter, under, and over.
7.  Use hyphens when needed for clarity(to distinguish between re-sign and resign for example.)

        It's true that this is a lot to remember, but with perseverance and practice, you'll get through these "bumps in the road" and come out shining.