After semi-colon, do I capitalize the first word of the 2nd sen.?

! ;-)

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
For someone who wants to rid the world of 'i', what sort of name is
"aalaan"?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
No I don't wish to 'eliminate the World from the small 'i' but I would
like
to do it the other way round! Your error of order is a bit like the
classic
advert 'Piano wanted by lady with bulbous legs'

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
I was forgetting your crusade to eliminate the World from the small 'i'
and
other grammatical menaces of using phone texting shorthand
out-of-context.
g

Terry


"aalaan" wrote in message
...
Agreed about the need for a capital if one should exist anyway, such
as
'I' (that much neglected character) but certainly nor as a matter of
course after a semicolon.

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
To expand on those correct answers: as with all grammar rules, this
one
may be broken! The first character following the colon should be
capitalised when a capital is normally demanded. For example, the
phrase
following may be a quote that starts with a capital, a proper name
follows or simply 'I'. The rule isn't absolute.

To make matter worse, there are some writing circles that insist on
capitalising after a colon. But that is only in US English and not in
British or International English.

Allen Wyatt who publishes a Word Tips Newsletter, once provided a tip
for capitalising after a colon stating that Word only had a built in
tool for capitalising after a Stop. He genuinely believes that it
should
capitalise following a colon too, so he produced a macro tool.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"justme" wrote in message
...
I was just trying to figure out a simple grammar question and could
not
find
a way to ask Word 2003 my question. My question is simply:

When I've combined two sentences with a semi-colon, is it proper to
capitalize the first word of the second sentence or not?

I am on the side of anyone who prefers "I" to 'i" for the personal pronoun
(and sensible grammar in general), but I also have a preference for people
who use sensible screen names.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
touché!

But I thought you were on my side.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
For someone who wants to rid the world of 'i', what sort of name is
"aalaan"?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
No I don't wish to 'eliminate the World from the small 'i' but I would
like
to do it the other way round! Your error of order is a bit like the
classic
advert 'Piano wanted by lady with bulbous legs'

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
I was forgetting your crusade to eliminate the World from the small
'i'
and
other grammatical menaces of using phone texting shorthand
out-of-context.
g

Terry


"aalaan" wrote in message
...
Agreed about the need for a capital if one should exist anyway, such
as
'I' (that much neglected character) but certainly nor as a matter of
course after a semicolon.

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
To expand on those correct answers: as with all grammar rules, this
one
may be broken! The first character following the colon should be
capitalised when a capital is normally demanded. For example, the
phrase
following may be a quote that starts with a capital, a proper name
follows or simply 'I'. The rule isn't absolute.

To make matter worse, there are some writing circles that insist on
capitalising after a colon. But that is only in US English and not
in
British or International English.

Allen Wyatt who publishes a Word Tips Newsletter, once provided a
tip
for capitalising after a colon stating that Word only had a built
in
tool for capitalising after a Stop. He genuinely believes that it
should
capitalise following a colon too, so he produced a macro tool.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"justme" wrote in message
...
I was just trying to figure out a simple grammar question and could
not
find
a way to ask Word 2003 my question. My question is simply:

When I've combined two sentences with a semi-colon, is it proper
to
capitalize the first word of the second sentence or not?

I've changed it. I'll crawl away to my glass of wine and the TV news now ;-(

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
I am on the side of anyone who prefers "I" to 'i" for the personal pronoun
(and sensible grammar in general), but I also have a preference for people
who use sensible screen names.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
touché!

But I thought you were on my side.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
For someone who wants to rid the world of 'i', what sort of name is
"aalaan"?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
No I don't wish to 'eliminate the World from the small 'i' but I would
like
to do it the other way round! Your error of order is a bit like the
classic
advert 'Piano wanted by lady with bulbous legs'

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
I was forgetting your crusade to eliminate the World from the small
'i'
and
other grammatical menaces of using phone texting shorthand
out-of-context.
g

Terry


"aalaan" wrote in message
...
Agreed about the need for a capital if one should exist anyway,
such
as
'I' (that much neglected character) but certainly nor as a matter
of
course after a semicolon.

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
To expand on those correct answers: as with all grammar rules,
this
one
may be broken! The first character following the colon should be
capitalised when a capital is normally demanded. For example, the
phrase
following may be a quote that starts with a capital, a proper name
follows or simply 'I'. The rule isn't absolute.

To make matter worse, there are some writing circles that insist
on
capitalising after a colon. But that is only in US English and not
in
British or International English.

Allen Wyatt who publishes a Word Tips Newsletter, once provided a
tip
for capitalising after a colon stating that Word only had a built
in
tool for capitalising after a Stop. He genuinely believes that it
should
capitalise following a colon too, so he produced a macro tool.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"justme" wrote in message
...
I was just trying to figure out a simple grammar question and
could
not
find
a way to ask Word 2003 my question. My question is simply:

When I've combined two sentences with a semi-colon, is it proper
to
capitalize the first word of the second sentence or not?

Well, that depends on whether you characterize "Aalaan" as "sensible." g
It's better than some we see here, at least.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Aalaan" wrote in message
...
I've changed it. I'll crawl away to my glass of wine and the TV news now
;-(

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
I am on the side of anyone who prefers "I" to 'i" for the personal
pronoun
(and sensible grammar in general), but I also have a preference for
people
who use sensible screen names.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
touché!

But I thought you were on my side.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
For someone who wants to rid the world of 'i', what sort of name is
"aalaan"?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
No I don't wish to 'eliminate the World from the small 'i' but I
would
like
to do it the other way round! Your error of order is a bit like the
classic
advert 'Piano wanted by lady with bulbous legs'

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
I was forgetting your crusade to eliminate the World from the small
'i'
and
other grammatical menaces of using phone texting shorthand
out-of-context.
g

Terry


"aalaan" wrote in message
...
Agreed about the need for a capital if one should exist anyway,
such
as
'I' (that much neglected character) but certainly nor as a matter
of
course after a semicolon.

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
To expand on those correct answers: as with all grammar rules,
this
one
may be broken! The first character following the colon should be
capitalised when a capital is normally demanded. For example,
the
phrase
following may be a quote that starts with a capital, a proper
name
follows or simply 'I'. The rule isn't absolute.

To make matter worse, there are some writing circles that insist
on
capitalising after a colon. But that is only in US English and
not
in
British or International English.

Allen Wyatt who publishes a Word Tips Newsletter, once provided
a
tip
for capitalising after a colon stating that Word only had a
built
in
tool for capitalising after a Stop. He genuinely believes that
it
should
capitalise following a colon too, so he produced a macro tool.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"justme" wrote in message
...
I was just trying to figure out a simple grammar question and
could
not
find
a way to ask Word 2003 my question. My question is simply:

When I've combined two sentences with a semi-colon, is it
proper
to
capitalize the first word of the second sentence or not?

As it is my name, I do.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Well, that depends on whether you characterize "Aalaan" as "sensible." g
It's better than some we see here, at least.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"Aalaan" wrote in message
...
I've changed it. I'll crawl away to my glass of wine and the TV news now
;-(

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
I am on the side of anyone who prefers "I" to 'i" for the personal
pronoun
(and sensible grammar in general), but I also have a preference for
people
who use sensible screen names.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
touché!

But I thought you were on my side.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
For someone who wants to rid the world of 'i', what sort of name is
"aalaan"?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
No I don't wish to 'eliminate the World from the small 'i' but I
would
like
to do it the other way round! Your error of order is a bit like the
classic
advert 'Piano wanted by lady with bulbous legs'

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
I was forgetting your crusade to eliminate the World from the
small
'i'
and
other grammatical menaces of using phone texting shorthand
out-of-context.
g

Terry


"aalaan" wrote in message
...
Agreed about the need for a capital if one should exist anyway,
such
as
'I' (that much neglected character) but certainly nor as a
matter
of
course after a semicolon.

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
To expand on those correct answers: as with all grammar rules,
this
one
may be broken! The first character following the colon should
be
capitalised when a capital is normally demanded. For example,
the
phrase
following may be a quote that starts with a capital, a proper
name
follows or simply 'I'. The rule isn't absolute.

To make matter worse, there are some writing circles that
insist
on
capitalising after a colon. But that is only in US English and
not
in
British or International English.

Allen Wyatt who publishes a Word Tips Newsletter, once provided
a
tip
for capitalising after a colon stating that Word only had a
built
in
tool for capitalising after a Stop. He genuinely believes that
it
should
capitalise following a colon too, so he produced a macro tool.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"justme" wrote in message
...
I was just trying to figure out a simple grammar question and
could
not
find
a way to ask Word 2003 my question. My question is simply:

When I've combined two sentences with a semi-colon, is it
proper
to
capitalize the first word of the second sentence or not?

Really and truly Aalaan and not, say, Alan? I noticed that you entered it as
Aalan once earlier. g

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Aalaan" wrote in message
...
As it is my name, I do.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Well, that depends on whether you characterize "Aalaan" as "sensible."
g
It's better than some we see here, at least.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"Aalaan" wrote in message
...
I've changed it. I'll crawl away to my glass of wine and the TV news
now
;-(

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
I am on the side of anyone who prefers "I" to 'i" for the personal
pronoun
(and sensible grammar in general), but I also have a preference for
people
who use sensible screen names.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
touché!

But I thought you were on my side.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
For someone who wants to rid the world of 'i', what sort of name
is
"aalaan"?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
No I don't wish to 'eliminate the World from the small 'i' but I
would
like
to do it the other way round! Your error of order is a bit like
the
classic
advert 'Piano wanted by lady with bulbous legs'

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
I was forgetting your crusade to eliminate the World from the
small
'i'
and
other grammatical menaces of using phone texting shorthand
out-of-context.
g

Terry


"aalaan" wrote in message
...
Agreed about the need for a capital if one should exist
anyway,
such
as
'I' (that much neglected character) but certainly nor as a
matter
of
course after a semicolon.

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
To expand on those correct answers: as with all grammar
rules,
this
one
may be broken! The first character following the colon should
be
capitalised when a capital is normally demanded. For example,
the
phrase
following may be a quote that starts with a capital, a proper
name
follows or simply 'I'. The rule isn't absolute.

To make matter worse, there are some writing circles that
insist
on
capitalising after a colon. But that is only in US English
and
not
in
British or International English.

Allen Wyatt who publishes a Word Tips Newsletter, once
provided
a
tip
for capitalising after a colon stating that Word only had a
built
in
tool for capitalising after a Stop. He genuinely believes
that
it
should
capitalise following a colon too, so he produced a macro
tool.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"justme" wrote in message
...
I was just trying to figure out a simple grammar question and
could
not
find
a way to ask Word 2003 my question. My question is simply:

When I've combined two sentences with a semi-colon, is it
proper
to
capitalize the first word of the second sentence or not?

There's a subtle reason for that! BTW, while I have your attention thanks a
million for the many hours you've saved me over various Word kinks.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Really and truly Aalaan and not, say, Alan? I noticed that you entered it
as
Aalan once earlier. g

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"Aalaan" wrote in message
...
As it is my name, I do.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Well, that depends on whether you characterize "Aalaan" as "sensible."
g
It's better than some we see here, at least.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"Aalaan" wrote in message
...
I've changed it. I'll crawl away to my glass of wine and the TV news
now
;-(

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
I am on the side of anyone who prefers "I" to 'i" for the personal
pronoun
(and sensible grammar in general), but I also have a preference for
people
who use sensible screen names.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
touché!

But I thought you were on my side.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
For someone who wants to rid the world of 'i', what sort of name
is
"aalaan"?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
No I don't wish to 'eliminate the World from the small 'i' but I
would
like
to do it the other way round! Your error of order is a bit like
the
classic
advert 'Piano wanted by lady with bulbous legs'

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
I was forgetting your crusade to eliminate the World from the
small
'i'
and
other grammatical menaces of using phone texting shorthand
out-of-context.
g

Terry


"aalaan" wrote in message
...
Agreed about the need for a capital if one should exist
anyway,
such
as
'I' (that much neglected character) but certainly nor as a
matter
of
course after a semicolon.

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
To expand on those correct answers: as with all grammar
rules,
this
one
may be broken! The first character following the colon
should
be
capitalised when a capital is normally demanded. For
example,
the
phrase
following may be a quote that starts with a capital, a
proper
name
follows or simply 'I'. The rule isn't absolute.

To make matter worse, there are some writing circles that
insist
on
capitalising after a colon. But that is only in US English
and
not
in
British or International English.

Allen Wyatt who publishes a Word Tips Newsletter, once
provided
a
tip
for capitalising after a colon stating that Word only had a
built
in
tool for capitalising after a Stop. He genuinely believes
that
it
should
capitalise following a colon too, so he produced a macro
tool.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"justme" wrote in message
...
I was just trying to figure out a simple grammar question
and
could
not
find
a way to ask Word 2003 my question. My question is simply:

When I've combined two sentences with a semi-colon, is it
proper
to
capitalize the first word of the second sentence or not?

Well, you're certainly welcome.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Aalaan" wrote in message
...
There's a subtle reason for that! BTW, while I have your attention thanks
a
million for the many hours you've saved me over various Word kinks.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Really and truly Aalaan and not, say, Alan? I noticed that you entered
it
as
Aalan once earlier. g

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"Aalaan" wrote in message
...
As it is my name, I do.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
Well, that depends on whether you characterize "Aalaan" as
"sensible."
g
It's better than some we see here, at least.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"Aalaan" wrote in message
...
I've changed it. I'll crawl away to my glass of wine and the TV news
now
;-(

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
I am on the side of anyone who prefers "I" to 'i" for the personal
pronoun
(and sensible grammar in general), but I also have a preference
for
people
who use sensible screen names.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
touché!

But I thought you were on my side.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
For someone who wants to rid the world of 'i', what sort of
name
is
"aalaan"?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

"aalaan" wrote in message
...
No I don't wish to 'eliminate the World from the small 'i' but
I
would
like
to do it the other way round! Your error of order is a bit
like
the
classic
advert 'Piano wanted by lady with bulbous legs'

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
I was forgetting your crusade to eliminate the World from the
small
'i'
and
other grammatical menaces of using phone texting shorthand
out-of-context.
g

Terry


"aalaan" wrote in message
...
Agreed about the need for a capital if one should exist
anyway,
such
as
'I' (that much neglected character) but certainly nor as a
matter
of
course after a semicolon.

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
To expand on those correct answers: as with all grammar
rules,
this
one
may be broken! The first character following the colon
should
be
capitalised when a capital is normally demanded. For
example,
the
phrase
following may be a quote that starts with a capital, a
proper
name
follows or simply 'I'. The rule isn't absolute.

To make matter worse, there are some writing circles that
insist
on
capitalising after a colon. But that is only in US English
and
not
in
British or International English.

Allen Wyatt who publishes a Word Tips Newsletter, once
provided
a
tip
for capitalising after a colon stating that Word only had
a
built
in
tool for capitalising after a Stop. He genuinely believes
that
it
should
capitalise following a colon too, so he produced a macro
tool.

--
Terry Farrell - MS Word MVP

"justme" wrote in
message
...
I was just trying to figure out a simple grammar question
and
could
not
find
a way to ask Word 2003 my question. My question is
simply:

When I've combined two sentences with a semi-colon, is it
proper
to
capitalize the first word of the second sentence or not?

I've only just spotted this thread so apologies in advance if this is
irrelevant or duplicated.

Hart's Rules (for compositors and readers at the University Press Oxford) is
a reference for such issues.

It states "The semicolon separates two or more clauses which are of more or
less equal importance and are linked as a pair or series" and goes on to
give examples. In all examples the semicolon is followed by a lower case
letter.

It also states "Whereas the semicolon links equal or balanced clauses, the
colon generally marks a step forward, from introduction to main theme, from
cause to effect, premiss sic to conclusion, etc." and goes on to give
examples. In all examples the colon is followed by an upper case letter.

I hope that clarifies the issue.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway

This is the first time I've seen Hart's Rules cited here by anyone but me.
FWIW, current usage prefers lowercase after a colon in most instances
(except in titles of books and articles). The rule of thumb I use is that if
the clause that follows the colon is merely an explanation of what leads up
to the colon (that is, it is an expansion or provides a reason), I use
lowercase. If the colon introduces a sort of rule or pronouncement, it may
deserve caps. If the colon introduces a series of sentences (rather than a
single clause), I begin the first with a capital.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
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"Bill Ridgeway" wrote in message
...
I've only just spotted this thread so apologies in advance if this is
irrelevant or duplicated.

Hart's Rules (for compositors and readers at the University Press Oxford)
is
a reference for such issues.

It states "The semicolon separates two or more clauses which are of more
or
less equal importance and are linked as a pair or series" and goes on to
give examples. In all examples the semicolon is followed by a lower case
letter.

It also states "Whereas the semicolon links equal or balanced clauses, the
colon generally marks a step forward, from introduction to main theme,
from
cause to effect, premiss sic to conclusion, etc." and goes on to give
examples. In all examples the colon is followed by an upper case letter.

I hope that clarifies the issue.

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway