EnglishAges 13-15

Colons, semicolons & hyphens

Use colons, semicolons, em dashes and hyphens accurately in complex sentences and modifiers. Review suitability for your learners before teaching.

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Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 13-15

Colons, semicolons & hyphens

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence before “therefore”: “The sample contained impurities; therefore, we repeated the filtration” or “The sample contained impurities, therefore we repeated the filtration”?
“therefore” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
2. Which punctuation is required before the conjunctive adverb “however” when it joins two independent clauses: “The sky looked clear____ however, the barometer was falling rapidly” (; however, or , however,)?
“however” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
3. Why is the sentence “The bell rang, the students filed into the hall” a punctuation error: it is a comma splice joining two independent clauses with only a comma, or it is missing a question mark?
Why is the sentence “The b… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
4. When list items themselves contain internal commas, which punctuation mark should separate the items: “We visited Male, Maldives____ Colombo, Sri Lanka____ and Kochi, India” (semicolons ; or commas ,)?
When list items themselves… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
5. Which punctuation mark correctly links two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction: “The tide had turned____ the lagoon was now deep enough for the boat” (a semicolon ; or a comma ,)?
Which punctuation mark cor… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
6. Choose the correct punctuation to introduce a formal quotation after an independent clause: “Newton stated his third law clearly____ ‘To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.’” (Colon : or Comma ,)?
Choose the correct punctua… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
7. Choose the correct punctuation before “moreover” when joining two independent clauses: “Solar panels produce zero operational emissions; moreover, they require minimal maintenance” or “Solar panels produce zero operational emissions, moreover they require minimal maintenance”?
“moreover” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
8. Why does “a slowly moving cloud” NOT take a hyphen after “slowly”: adverbs ending in “-ly” are not hyphenated before participles or adjectives, or adverbs are nouns?
“slowly” · “-ly” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
9. Which prefix almost always requires a hyphen when attached to a noun, as in “self-confidence” and “self-reliant”: self- or un-?
“self-confidence” · “self-reli · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
10. Which short mark joins two words into a single compound adjective before a noun, as in “a well-known author”: a hyphen (-) or a semicolon (;)?
Which short mark joins two… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
11. Choose the correctly hyphenated compound number word for 47: “forty-seven” or “forty seven”?
“forty-seven” · “forty seven” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
12. Is a colon correct directly after a verb in “The three primary colours of light are: red, green and blue” (Yes or No)?
Is a colon correct directl… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens

12 questions · Seed 45 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

View the answer key

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 13-15

Colons, semicolons & hyphens

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence before “therefore”: “The sample contained impurities; therefore, we repeated the filtration” or “The sample contained impurities, therefore we repeated the filtration”?
The sample contained impurities; therefore, we repeated the filtration
“Therefore” is a conjunctive adverb between two independent clauses and requires a semicolon before it and a comma after it.
2. Which punctuation is required before the conjunctive adverb “however” when it joins two independent clauses: “The sky looked clear____ however, the barometer was falling rapidly” (; however, or , however,)?
; however,
When a conjunctive adverb like “however” links two independent clauses, precede it with a semicolon and follow it with a comma.
3. Why is the sentence “The bell rang, the students filed into the hall” a punctuation error: it is a comma splice joining two independent clauses with only a comma, or it is missing a question mark?
It is a comma splice joining two independent clauses with only a comma
Two independent clauses cannot be joined by a bare comma; use a semicolon, a full stop, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.
4. When list items themselves contain internal commas, which punctuation mark should separate the items: “We visited Male, Maldives____ Colombo, Sri Lanka____ and Kochi, India” (semicolons ; or commas ,)?
Semicolons (;)
Semicolons act as “super-commas” to separate complex list items that already contain commas.
5. Which punctuation mark correctly links two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction: “The tide had turned____ the lagoon was now deep enough for the boat” (a semicolon ; or a comma ,)?
Semicolon (;)
A semicolon joins two closely related independent clauses; using only a comma creates a comma splice.
6. Choose the correct punctuation to introduce a formal quotation after an independent clause: “Newton stated his third law clearly____ ‘To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.’” (Colon : or Comma ,)?
Colon (:)
After a full independent clause, a colon formally introduces a quotation.
7. Choose the correct punctuation before “moreover” when joining two independent clauses: “Solar panels produce zero operational emissions; moreover, they require minimal maintenance” or “Solar panels produce zero operational emissions, moreover they require minimal maintenance”?
Solar panels produce zero operational emissions; moreover, they require minimal maintenance
Use a semicolon before and a comma after the conjunctive adverb “moreover” between two independent clauses.
8. Why does “a slowly moving cloud” NOT take a hyphen after “slowly”: adverbs ending in “-ly” are not hyphenated before participles or adjectives, or adverbs are nouns?
Adverbs ending in “-ly” are not hyphenated before participles or adjectives
Because “-ly” already signals that the word modifies the following participle, no hyphen is used.
9. Which prefix almost always requires a hyphen when attached to a noun, as in “self-confidence” and “self-reliant”: self- or un-?
self-
Compounds formed with the prefix “self-” are hyphenated in standard English.
10. Which short mark joins two words into a single compound adjective before a noun, as in “a well-known author”: a hyphen (-) or a semicolon (;)?
Hyphen (-)
A hyphen links words in a compound modifier before a noun (“well-known author”).
11. Choose the correctly hyphenated compound number word for 47: “forty-seven” or “forty seven”?
forty-seven
Compound numbers written in words from twenty-one to ninety-nine use a hyphen.
12. Is a colon correct directly after a verb in “The three primary colours of light are: red, green and blue” (Yes or No)?
No
Do not place a colon directly between a verb or preposition and its objects; a colon should follow a complete clause.

12 questions · Seed 45 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 13-15

Colons, semicolons & hyphens

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence before “therefore”: “The sample contained impurities; therefore, we repeated the filtration” or “The sample contained impurities, therefore we repeated the filtration”?
“therefore” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
2. Which punctuation is required before the conjunctive adverb “however” when it joins two independent clauses: “The sky looked clear____ however, the barometer was falling rapidly” (; however, or , however,)?
“however” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
3. Why is the sentence “The bell rang, the students filed into the hall” a punctuation error: it is a comma splice joining two independent clauses with only a comma, or it is missing a question mark?
Why is the sentence “The b… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
4. When list items themselves contain internal commas, which punctuation mark should separate the items: “We visited Male, Maldives____ Colombo, Sri Lanka____ and Kochi, India” (semicolons ; or commas ,)?
When list items themselves… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
5. Which punctuation mark correctly links two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction: “The tide had turned____ the lagoon was now deep enough for the boat” (a semicolon ; or a comma ,)?
Which punctuation mark cor… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
6. Choose the correct punctuation to introduce a formal quotation after an independent clause: “Newton stated his third law clearly____ ‘To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.’” (Colon : or Comma ,)?
Choose the correct punctua… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
7. Choose the correct punctuation before “moreover” when joining two independent clauses: “Solar panels produce zero operational emissions; moreover, they require minimal maintenance” or “Solar panels produce zero operational emissions, moreover they require minimal maintenance”?
“moreover” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
8. Why does “a slowly moving cloud” NOT take a hyphen after “slowly”: adverbs ending in “-ly” are not hyphenated before participles or adjectives, or adverbs are nouns?
“slowly” · “-ly” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
9. Which prefix almost always requires a hyphen when attached to a noun, as in “self-confidence” and “self-reliant”: self- or un-?
“self-confidence” · “self-reli · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
10. Which short mark joins two words into a single compound adjective before a noun, as in “a well-known author”: a hyphen (-) or a semicolon (;)?
Which short mark joins two… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
11. Choose the correctly hyphenated compound number word for 47: “forty-seven” or “forty seven”?
“forty-seven” · “forty seven” · Colons, semicolons & hyphens
12. Is a colon correct directly after a verb in “The three primary colours of light are: red, green and blue” (Yes or No)?
Is a colon correct directl… · Colons, semicolons & hyphens

12 questions · Seed 45 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 13-15

Colons, semicolons & hyphens

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence before “therefore”: “The sample contained impurities; therefore, we repeated the filtration” or “The sample contained impurities, therefore we repeated the filtration”?
The sample contained impurities; therefore, we repeated the filtration
“Therefore” is a conjunctive adverb between two independent clauses and requires a semicolon before it and a comma after it.
2. Which punctuation is required before the conjunctive adverb “however” when it joins two independent clauses: “The sky looked clear____ however, the barometer was falling rapidly” (; however, or , however,)?
; however,
When a conjunctive adverb like “however” links two independent clauses, precede it with a semicolon and follow it with a comma.
3. Why is the sentence “The bell rang, the students filed into the hall” a punctuation error: it is a comma splice joining two independent clauses with only a comma, or it is missing a question mark?
It is a comma splice joining two independent clauses with only a comma
Two independent clauses cannot be joined by a bare comma; use a semicolon, a full stop, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.
4. When list items themselves contain internal commas, which punctuation mark should separate the items: “We visited Male, Maldives____ Colombo, Sri Lanka____ and Kochi, India” (semicolons ; or commas ,)?
Semicolons (;)
Semicolons act as “super-commas” to separate complex list items that already contain commas.
5. Which punctuation mark correctly links two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction: “The tide had turned____ the lagoon was now deep enough for the boat” (a semicolon ; or a comma ,)?
Semicolon (;)
A semicolon joins two closely related independent clauses; using only a comma creates a comma splice.
6. Choose the correct punctuation to introduce a formal quotation after an independent clause: “Newton stated his third law clearly____ ‘To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.’” (Colon : or Comma ,)?
Colon (:)
After a full independent clause, a colon formally introduces a quotation.
7. Choose the correct punctuation before “moreover” when joining two independent clauses: “Solar panels produce zero operational emissions; moreover, they require minimal maintenance” or “Solar panels produce zero operational emissions, moreover they require minimal maintenance”?
Solar panels produce zero operational emissions; moreover, they require minimal maintenance
Use a semicolon before and a comma after the conjunctive adverb “moreover” between two independent clauses.
8. Why does “a slowly moving cloud” NOT take a hyphen after “slowly”: adverbs ending in “-ly” are not hyphenated before participles or adjectives, or adverbs are nouns?
Adverbs ending in “-ly” are not hyphenated before participles or adjectives
Because “-ly” already signals that the word modifies the following participle, no hyphen is used.
9. Which prefix almost always requires a hyphen when attached to a noun, as in “self-confidence” and “self-reliant”: self- or un-?
self-
Compounds formed with the prefix “self-” are hyphenated in standard English.
10. Which short mark joins two words into a single compound adjective before a noun, as in “a well-known author”: a hyphen (-) or a semicolon (;)?
Hyphen (-)
A hyphen links words in a compound modifier before a noun (“well-known author”).
11. Choose the correctly hyphenated compound number word for 47: “forty-seven” or “forty seven”?
forty-seven
Compound numbers written in words from twenty-one to ninety-nine use a hyphen.
12. Is a colon correct directly after a verb in “The three primary colours of light are: red, green and blue” (Yes or No)?
No
Do not place a colon directly between a verb or preposition and its objects; a colon should follow a complete clause.

12 questions · Seed 45 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification