A question about punctuation. Thank you! I am not sure whether I should use "-" or ";" in the following sentence. Usually in Mandarin, I use "——". 1) For changing the conditions, they are paying much

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Kailin

A question about punctuation. Thank you! I am not sure whether I should use "-" or ";" in the following sentence. Usually in Mandarin, I use "——". 1) For changing the conditions, they are paying much more than I could have imagined; high pressure, painful diseases and prolonged separation from families. 2) For changing the conditions, they are paying much more than I could have imagined-high pressure, painful diseases and prolonged separation from families. Please tell me which is better. If there is any error in the above sentences, please correct me too. Thank you so much!

Oct 14, 2014 3:18 PM

Answers · 5

Hi! for your sentence, the second option is better than the first. You shouldn't use a semicolon (;) in the first sentence but could use a colon (:) instead, then it would be equally as good, if not better (slightly more formal), than the second option. Usually we use a dash (-) or colon (:) when what follows explains or gives examples of what the first part of the sentence is talking about. I hope this explanation is helpful to you!

October 14, 2014

Yes, let's help you get it right. "For changing the conditions" does not sound right. What's the story. "Painful diseases" does not sound right either. Which diseases? Let's get these sorted out first. Then we tackle the syntax and the punctuation.

October 14, 2014

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