When should I use a semi colon or even a colon?

Excellent answer here:http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/semi-colons-colons-and-dashes/

Shouldn't after a comma come the FANBOYS mnemonic?

I'm pretty sure you only need FANBOYS after a comma if connecting two independent clauses. In this example the second sentence is not an independent clause. So, you don't need fanboys

the second sentence was a dependent clause, dont we use semi-colon for that?

You use a semi colon for combining 2 independent clause which is related to each other. Since the second sentence is a dependent clause, we have to use a comma to make sure it is supported by the independent clause.

I thought the grammar section taught, the word THAT was the proper word not WHICH. Is that not correct? I am confused. Why did he choose it?

If the sentence doesn’t need a clause that the word in questioing is connecting, use which.

where can i find videos on how to use comas and semi-colons etc?

If you need to search up anything, you can always use the search program on the top left-hand side :)

In a question like this " In response to fears of _ fire, the children rushed out". in the above sentence in the blank is it correct to use the article "a" or should "no article" be used?

It depends. We don't use articles when we talk about uncountable nouns, or them in general. If the children were rushing out in the fear of fire, but not any specific fire, then there shouldn't be an article. However, from context, the fear of fire in general doesn't cause people to run out of a room, but the fear of _a specific_ fire would. For this reason, in the sentence you provided we'd use "a". If you were introducing the fire to the story for the first time, you'd use "a", but if you were referring to this specific fire, you'd use the definite article "the" before fire instead.

When do you use a semicolon

Taking this from AyoSeven's answer above, as it explains it well. "Colon can be used to: 1) denote a list e.g. I went to the store to buy: shiny, juicy oranges; ripe, delicious pears and big, green watermelons. 2) to expand on a previous idea e.g. My sister doesn't like swimming when it is cold: the weather makes her feel nauseous."

I think that there was no need of having comma between the words 'tree' and 'which'. Ain't I right?

The "which" and words following it form what we call a nonrestrictive clause, which is to say that they add meaning that is nonessential to understanding the meat of the sentence (you don't _have_ to know that the tree was developed by Mr. Castro). Because nonrestrictive clauses are nonessential, we seperate them from the rest of the sentence with a comma (or a comma on each side if they're in the middle of the sentence). For the SAT, all you need to know is clauses with "that" are essential and don't need a comma, and clauses with "which" are nonessential and do need a comma.

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SAT

Unit 11: Lesson 3

Writing: Grammar

Writing: Sentence boundaries — Example 2

Name: Writing: Sentence boundaries — Example 2
Uploaded: 2015-09-01T00:09:02Z
Description: Watch Sal work through a harder sentence boundaries question from the SAT Writing and Language Test..

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Watch Sal work through a harder sentence boundaries question from the SAT Writing and Language Test..

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bherold6
Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to bherold6's post “When should I use a semi ...”
When should I use a semi colon or even a colon?
(18 votes)
Answer
- Mariam
  Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to Mariam's post “Excellent answer here:htt...”
  Excellent answer here:http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/semi-colons-colons-and-dashes/
  (7 votes)
Mazen Mohammed
Posted 3 years ago. Direct link to Mazen Mohammed's post “Shouldn't after a comma c...”
Shouldn't after a comma come the FANBOYS mnemonic?
(12 votes)
Answer
- anjaliyadav
  Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to anjaliyadav's post “I'm pretty sure you only ...”
  I'm pretty sure you only need FANBOYS after a comma if
  connecting two independent clauses. In this example the second sentence is not an independent clause. So, you don't need fanboys
  (5 votes)
daniya.king494
Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to daniya.king494's post “the second sentence was a...”
the second sentence was a dependent clause, dont we use semi-colon for that?
(4 votes)
Answer
- Arman Kazi
  Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Arman Kazi's post “You use a semi colon for ...”
  You use a semi colon for combining 2 independent clause which is related to each other. Since the second sentence is a dependent clause, we have to use a comma to make sure it is supported by the independent clause.
  (14 votes)
étudiant
Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to étudiant's post “I thought the grammar sec...”
I thought the grammar section taught, the word THAT was the proper word not WHICH. Is that not correct? I am confused. Why did he choose it?
(4 votes)
Answer
- 20jonesc
  Posted 5 years ago. Direct link to 20jonesc's post “If the sentence doesn’t n...”
  If the sentence doesn’t need a clause that the word in questioing is connecting, use which.
  (2 votes)
Saad Haroon
Posted 4 years ago. Direct link to Saad Haroon's post “where can i find videos o...”
where can i find videos on how to use comas and semi-colons etc?
(1 vote)
Answer
- AimeeYong
  Posted 3 years ago. Direct link to AimeeYong's post “If you need to search up ...”
  If you need to search up anything, you can always use the search program on the top left-hand side :)
  (2 votes)
Prajna Ray
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Prajna Ray's post “In a question like this ...”
In a question like this
" In response to fears of _ fire, the children rushed out".
in the above sentence in the blank is it correct to use the article "a" or should "no article" be used?
(1 vote)
Answer
- Hecretary Bird
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to Hecretary Bird's post “It depends. We don't use ...”
  It depends. We don't use articles when we talk about uncountable nouns, or them in general. If the children were rushing out in the fear of fire, but not any specific fire, then there shouldn't be an article.
  However, from context, the fear of fire in general doesn't cause people to run out of a room, but the fear of a specific fire would. For this reason, in the sentence you provided we'd use "a".
  If you were introducing the fire to the story for the first time, you'd use "a", but if you were referring to this specific fire, you'd use the definite article "the" before fire instead.
  (3 votes)
Sabrina
Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to Sabrina's post “how can we put a comma be...”
how can we put a comma before which? Is that even possible
(2 votes)
Answer
Andy Huynh
Posted 7 months ago. Direct link to Andy Huynh's post “For this example, why was...”
For this example, why was a comma used before the word "while"? I thought that you typically do not use a comma before subordinating conjunction that connects a dependent clause to an independent clause.
(2 votes)
Answer
sarthak pant
Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to sarthak pant's post “When do you use a semicol...”
When do you use a semicolon
(1 vote)
Answer
- dynamic
  Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to dynamic's post “Taking this from AyoSeven...”
  Taking this from AyoSeven's answer above, as it explains it well.
  "Colon can be used to:
  1) denote a list
  e.g. I went to the store to buy: shiny, juicy oranges; ripe, delicious pears and big, green watermelons.
  2) to expand on a previous idea
  e.g. My sister doesn't like swimming when it is cold: the weather makes her feel nauseous."
  (2 votes)
omdobariya88
Posted a year ago. Direct link to omdobariya88's post “I think that there was no...”
I think that there was no need of having comma between the words 'tree' and 'which'. Ain't I right?
(1 vote)
Answer
- Hecretary Bird
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to Hecretary Bird's post “The "which" and words fol...”
  The "which" and words following it form what we call a nonrestrictive clause, which is to say that they add meaning that is nonessential to understanding the meat of the sentence (you don't have to know that the tree was developed by Mr. Castro). Because nonrestrictive clauses are nonessential, we seperate them from the rest of the sentence with a comma (or a comma on each side if they're in the middle of the sentence).
  For the SAT, all you need to know is clauses with "that" are essential and don't need a comma, and clauses with "which" are nonessential and do need a comma.
  (2 votes)

Video transcript

- [Instructor] In response to fears of a chocolate shortage, farmers are looking to a high-yielding variety of cocoa tree, which was developed by Ecuadorian agronomist Homero Castro. So this was a bit strange that we end a sentence, and then we start a sentence with which was developed by Ecuadorian agronomist Homero Castro, because this right by itself, this isn't a sentence. This isn't a sentence by itself. This feels like this which is referring, it's giving us more, more explanation of this high-yielding variety of cocoa tree, so I definitely don't want to separate it as a separate sentence, so I'm gonna change it, so I'm gonna scratch out no change, so let's look at this choice. So this says farmers are looking to a high-yielding variety of cocoa tree, comma, which was developed by Ecuadorian agronomist Homero Castro. So this one feels quite good. I would use a comma and just go straight to the which. So this one looks right, so let's look at the other choices. Farmers are looking to a high-yielding variety of cocoa tree, and that tree was developed by Ecuadorian agronomist Homero Castro. Well this is just unnecessarily wordy. We're using the word tree twice, so I don't like that one. And then this last choice is just like the second choice, but instead of a comma, we have a semicolon. And the reason why I like a comma more than a semicolon, I imagine I've used semicolon, the separating two clauses, that can almost stand on themselves, and in fact, sometimes, they can stand on themselves, but there's a semicolon to kind of show that they are related. While a comma is, for the most part, separating clauses that can't stand, the first one can stand on by themselves. In response to fears of a chocolate shortage, farmers are looking to a high-yielding variety of cocoa tree, that can stand by itself, but the second clause has trouble standing by itself. In fact, it can't stand as a sentence, which was developed by Ecuadorian agronomist Homero Castro, so I feel good about the comma right over here, and you know, you don't need to over complicate things if the simpler tool works.

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