By Jennifer Copley (Last Updated, November 26, 2013)
The semicolon is a misunderstood bit of punctuation that many people avoid using, but it has two important roles: tying together connected sentences and acting as a super comma.
Tying Two Sentences Together with a Semicolon
Use a semicolon if:
- you have two clauses that contain related or contrasting ideas,
- each could each be a full sentence on its own, and
- there is no connecting word between them (connecting words include and, but, nor, yet, or, so, and for):
Some people preferred hamsters; Mabel was a gerbil person. (A semicolon is used here because the two ideas are related but each is a full sentence on its own.)
Some people preferred hamsters, but Mabel was a gerbil person. (A semicolon is not used here because the two clauses are connected with but.)
Using a Semicolon as a Super Comma
Semicolons are used for item series when individual item descriptions already contain commas:
She packed all of her clothing except for the blue dress, the red shoes, and the purple socks; a few of her favourite knick-knacks; and all of the food in the cupboard, including Chester’s Peanut Butter Panda Puffs cereal.
See the main Grammar, Punctuation, and Writer Resources pages for more tips and resources.
References:
- American Psychological Association. (2011). “Punctuating Around Quotation Marks.” Blog.APAStyle.org.
- Brians, P. (n.d.). Common Errors in English Language.
- Capital Community College Foundation. (n.d.). “Quotation Marks” and “Commas.” Grammar.ccc.commnet.edu.
- Fogarty, M. (2010). Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips.
- O’Conner, P. T. (1996). Woe Is I, the Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. New York, G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
- OWL at Purdue. (2013). “How to Use Quotation Marks” and “Extended Rules for Using Commas.” The Writing Lab & the OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. OWL.English.Purdue.edu.
- Strauss, J. (2013). Grammarbook.com.
- The Guardian. (2013). “‘The British style’? ‘The American way?’ They are not so different.” TheGuardian.com.
- Trask, L. (1997). Guide to Punctuation. University of Sussex.
