7th grade semicolons and colons worksheets

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A semicolon joins two independent clauses that are closely related, with no conjunction between them. A colon introduces what follows: a list, an explanation, or a name. Both marks need a complete sentence in front of them. Seventh graders decide which mark a sentence needs and write it in.

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The kind of sentences you'll fix

Write the semicolon or the colon that each sentence needs on the line.

  1. The flood destroyed the mill in 1873 (: / ;) the town rebuilt it within a year.

    Fixed: The flood destroyed the mill in 1873 ; the town rebuilt it within a year.

  2. The network dropped right after lunch (: / ;) consequently, nobody could save a file.
  3. Practice runs until five on Mondays (: / ;) otherwise, we finish by four thirty.

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 7th grade sheet

7th grade sheets draw from 44 sentences, 8 to a page. None of these sentences are on 8th grade sheets. 8th grade sheets print 7 to a page.

A few of the sentences:

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Cover everything after the blank and read what is left. If it could be printed as a sentence on its own, either mark is still possible, so uncover the second half and read that. A list or a naming phrase takes the colon. A second full sentence usually takes the semicolon, unless it explains or sums up the first one (the plan failed: nobody brought the map). Then a colon works too, so read what the second half is doing. Two moves, in that order. The conjunctive adverbs (however, therefore, meanwhile, consequently) are worth a card of their own, because a clause that starts with one almost always needs a semicolon in front of it rather than a comma, and that is the single most common upper-grade punctuation note.

Watch for: Both marks need a complete sentence in front of them. The list is: towels, socks, and a snack puts the colon after is, which leaves the first half unfinished. A semicolon is not a fancy comma. Two clauses joined by only a comma is a comma splice, and swapping in a semicolon fixes it because the semicolon can do what the comma cannot. The word after a semicolon stays lowercase unless it is a name. The same is true after a colon in most school style guides.

Common questions about 7th grade semicolons and colons

When would I use a semicolon instead of a period?
When the two sentences are tied closely enough that a period would feel like too big a stop. The clock stopped; nobody on the bench moved. A period is never wrong there, so the semicolon is a choice about pace.
Can a colon introduce a single word?
Yes. The archive holds one irreplaceable item: the town's original charter. The colon works as long as a complete sentence comes before it.
What is the most common mistake with these marks?
Putting a colon after a verb or a preposition, as in the ingredients are: flour, salt, and yeast. Read the words before the colon alone. If they do not make a sentence, the colon does not belong.

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Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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