Filled with solid information and good advice, this program defines the rules for using the semicolon, the colon, and the dash, offering clear-cut caveats against misuse and overuse along the way. Litmus tests such as the “furthermore” test and the “and here it is” test make it easy to tell when to utilize these punctuation marks, while Thai food, spaghetti sauce, and even oatmeal with paprika spice up the numerous examples. (22 minutes)

When listing a long list that already contains commas, semicolons are used to separate the items to ensure clarity.

A colon follows an independent clause. What follows a colon can be an independent clause, a phrase, or a list.

A colon never follows a verb. It is not necessary to capitalize the first word following a colon unless the word is a proper noun.

A dash interrupts the smooth flow of a sentence and introduces some dramatic element. In Standard Edited American English, it is appropriate to use dashes in many different places.

Semicolons show balance between two related sentences. Colons tag additional information at the end of independent clauses. A dash interrupts a sentence to introduce some dramatic element.