When do you use colons and semicolons?

Question

I've always found commas seem appropriate, however the new version of microsoft office flags me and suggest colons and semicolons instead. I give in usually, but I'm not sure what purpose each serves.

Answer 1

Use a semicolon to separate two complete sentences without using a period. Example: Today was a really bad day; I thought it would never end.

Use a colon to introduce a list or a completely new train of thought. Example: Here's what we need for our trip: blankets, pillows, extra clothes, and money.

Answer 2

You use colons when you want to list something without commas(like" the following answers are: this, that, this and that" or you can just something like "This is how you do it: state this and do that) Semi-colons sort of start a new sentence. If you seem to start a new sentence even though you put a comma after that, it will flag you(I have it done to me all the time). You can you a semi-colon like this; a semi-colon can be used if you do another sentence similar to the previous one. (you can also use it between the commas in the first example and forget the "and")