Or, when the heck should you use a semicolon?
Semicolons are one of the most misunderstood members of the punctuation family. Some people use them everywhere, whereas others never dare to insert one. Never has a piece of punctuation instilled so much fear in so many people. So when should you use one? Well, there are a couple of different circumstances in which semicolons can, and should, be used.
1) To link two independent clauses. This is the main purpose in a semicolon’s life, which can be broken down as follows:
- Linking two closely related thoughts. Some people go south for the winter; others prefer to freeze their butts off.
- Linking clauses connected by conjunctive adverbs (however, also, otherwise, consequently, hence, etc.) or transitional phrases (as a result, for example, on the other hand, etc.). We allowed the children to choose their own dinner; consequently, they ate chicken nuggets and french fries.
- Linking clauses connected with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, so, yet) if the clauses are already punctuated with commas or if they are lengthy. Deer, being herbivores, eat grass, leaves, berries and mushrooms; but raccoons, being omnivores, will eat just about anything they stumble upon.
A good rule of thumb when trying to decide if you should use a semicolon for this purpose is to see if you could replace it with a period. Independent clauses should be, well, independent. If they could stand alone but they refer to the same idea, you can probably use a semicolon.
2) The other use for a semicolon is to link items in a list or series when any of the items contain commas. The most important Greek gods are Zeus, the ruler of the gods; Poseidon, the ruler of the seas; Hades, the ruler of the underworld; and Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
There you have it. The semicolon demystified. Now you can go forth and use semicolons confidently; there is no need to fear them anymore.
Thank you Jamie for submitting the topic!
Very helpful and love the examples. Hey, but what about the colon? Never sure if I’m using it correctly. Will there be a showdown between the colon and semicolon? Or do they get along because their functions are uniquely specific?
The suspense is killing me!
Thank you for the explanation; it is clear and helpful.
You’re very welcome, Mary. Thank you for reading and commenting!