The aim of culture is, if I may borrow from Arnold, our complete perfection. Sonnets, which were first composed in the fourteenth century, consist of fourteen lines. Use a comma to set off a direct quotation from its identifying tag. Semicolons Use a semicolon between two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning and are not linked by a conjunction. Use a semicolon between two independent clauses when the second clause begins with a conjunctive adverb or transitional expression.
Colons Use a colon at the end of an independent clause to introduce a list or series.
Use a colon at the end of an independent clause to introduce explanatory material. Use a colon at the end of an independent clause to introduce the formal expression of a rule or principle. Colons are almost never used except at the end of an independent clause. Whereas parenthses de-emphasize the enclosed words, dashes tend to draw the reader's attention to the words set apart. As a general rule, if a clause or phrase can be put into parentheses, it should be omitted from your paper.