Some good advice, rb. But a couple things to point out:
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Originally Posted by roachboy
i look at commas as like breathing spots. this isn't strict (so if you make a clause that functions as an adjective you might have to use them to separate it from what it modifies even if you wouldn't pause for breath there were you reading it aloud).
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You have to be careful with this. Dropping in commas where the language should be left to its own rhythm can annoy a lot of readers. That's why some editors only use commas where necessary for grammatical sense. (The open style.)
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colons link together sentences: semi colons link sentence to fragment. that's the rule i think.
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I think this is backwards. Colons allow you to introduce phrases or fragments, such as lists or statements/declarations linked to the preceding sentence. Semi-colons link closely related sentences. You shouldn't use semi-colons between incomplete sentences. You can use the em-dash (—) for this, if you want to add the fragment as parenthetical-like material.
I'm being formal, of course.