How Do You Use Semicolons In A Sentence

How Do You Use Where In A Sentence Use a semicolon between closely related independent clauses which are not joined by a coordinating conjunction. This rule means that semicolons are used between two complete sentences which are not already linked by words like and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet. Perhaps the most common use of a semicolon is to link two separate, independent clauses that could stand as grammatically correct, fully formed sentences on their own.

The caveat to this rule is that the clauses must be related. For instance, the phrases, "I hurt my knee," and "I have a hard time walking," are two clauses that could be complete sentences on their own and are also related. So, why are semicolons so often misused, especially when compared to other types of punctuation like commas, periods and question marks? The confusion comes with the fact that the semicolon operates in a kind of murky gray area between commas and periods.

As pointed out in in the example above, the period has a note of finality to it, meaning the sentence has come to a stop. The comma, however, is used as a brief pause to separate items in a list or introduce a clause with the help of a coordinating conjunction (if, but, because, etc.). Those two punctuation marks seem clear, but a semicolon? A semicolon is stronger than a comma, but it does not signal finality in the same manner as a period. Use a semicolon between independent clauses which are linked in meaning with a transitional word.

Is a symbol commonly used as orthographic punctuation. In the English language, a semicolon is most commonly used to link two independent clauses that are closely related in thought. When a semicolon joins two or more ideas in one sentence, those ideas are then given equal rank. Semicolons can also be used in place of commas to separate the items in a list, particularly when the elements of that list contain commas. The semicolon is used when connecting two sentences or independent clauses. Unlike the comma, you do not use coordinating conjunctions, e.g., and, or, but, etc.

A semicolon can also be used when connecting two independent clauses with conjunctive adverbs, e.g., however, therefore, thus, otherwise, etc. When beginning the second independent clause after a semicolon, do not use a capital. Sometimes people seem frustrated because they have to remember to use commas with coordinating conjunctions and semicolons with conjunctive adverbs most of the time.

Some writers mistakenly use semicolons to connect fragments or sentences that really should be two separate sentences. Use the semicolon to connect two independent clauses or a series of items. The most common use of the semicolon is to join two independent clauses without using a conjunction like "and".

Semicolons are followed by a lower case letter, unless that letter would ordinarily be capitalised mid-sentence (e.g., the word "I", acronyms/initialisms, or proper nouns). In older English printed texts, colons and semicolons are offset from the preceding word by a non-breaking space, a convention still current in present-day continental French texts. Ideally, the space is less wide than the inter-word spaces. Modern style guides recommend no space before them and one space after.

They also typically recommend placing semicolons outside ending quotation marks, although this was not always the case. For example, the first edition of The Chicago Manual of Style recommended placing the semicolon inside ending quotation marks. These can function as conjunctions but they are not true conjunctions – they are transitional words or phrases that join independent clauses. When conjunctive adverbs lie between two independent clauses, they are often best preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma, though this is not always the case. It might be useful here for us to review for a minute what a clause is.

As you recall, a clause is a group of words that go together and that contains both a subject and a verb. When that clause also expresses a complete thought, we call it an independent clause, and when we punctuate it with some kind of end punctuation we call it a sentence. Sometimes when the ideas expressed in the independent clauses are closely related, we might want to emphasize that relationship by joining the clauses to create a compound sentence. There are several ways to do that correctly, and each has its advantages.

But we are concerned in this handout only with how to correctly use the semicolon to connect them. For some time, the British have been using a colon where most Americans would use a semicolon. Many grammarians insist on a subtle difference between the two marks, however, no matter which side of the Atlantic you live on.

Semicolons should introduce evidence or a reason for the preceding statement; for example, this sentence appropriately uses a semicolon. Use a semicolon between two independent clauses that are connected by conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases. Remember that a semicolon connects two independent clauses that are able to stand as complete sentences on their own. In the above example, the dependent clause "which it did not have" cannot form a complete sentence on its own, so it must be joined to the main clause with a comma. These words sometimes show up in other parts of a sentence; therefore, the semicolon rule only applies if it helps the conjunctive adverb join two independent clauses. (See what we did there?) This conjunctive adverb rule is similar to the conjunction rule.

In both cases, check that the two ideas are independent clauses that could stand on their own as sentences. If so, then you're grammatically good to go as far as the semicolon is concerned. (;) A punctuation mark used to connect major parts of sentences of equal grammatical rank. For example, semicolons are used to connect two independent clauses into one sentence. Semicolons can be used to coordinate independent clauses that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions are but, and, so, or, nor, for and yet – basic words that show the relationship between two connected clauses.

If any of these is present there is usually no need for a semicolon, unless the writer wants a bigger pause, perhaps to emphasise whatever follows . Use a semicolon to combine two closely related independent clauses. Relying on a period to separate the related clauses into two shorter sentences could lead to choppy writing. Using a comma would create an awkward run-on sentence.

You may follow a semicolon that divides independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction. In the following example, it's correct to use a comma before but. Also, because there are already two commas in the second clause, a semicolon better indicates the main break in the sentence. Most commonly, the semicolon is used between two independent clauses (i.e., clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences) when a coordinating conjunction is omitted. In this case, writing the independent clauses as two sentences separated by a period is correct. However, using a semicolon to combine the clauses can make your writing more interesting by creating a variety of sentence lengths and structures while preserving the flow of ideas.

A compound sentence has at least two independent clauses that have related ideas. The independent clauses can be joined by a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon, as you can see in the compound sentence examples below. The semicolon is a useful implement in any writer's toolbox. Use this punctuation mark to join two closely related sentences. Too many semicolons can be distracting for the reader and ruin the rhythm of your prose. Also use the semicolon to separate list elements that themselves contain punctuation.

These sentences contain two independent clauses without coordinating conjunctions; thus, you need to use a semicolon and not a comma. Semi-colons will be introduced as an alternative to coordinating conjunctions within compound sentences with two independent clauses. Use a semicolon to separate two related independent clauses that are not linked by a comma and coordinating conjunction . The semicolon emphasizes a close relationship between the two independent clauses that can stand alone as an independent sentence. Often, you'll find a transitional phrase following a semicolon.

A semicolon's first job is to combine two or more independent clauses, putting together several full sentences about related things. You cannot use semicolons to combine an independent clause with a dependent clause, in other words, a complete sentence with an incomplete sentence . There are two ways we use semicolons to combine independent clauses. An independent clause is a grouping of words with a subject and a verb that can stand as a complete sentence on its own.

A semicolon marks a break between two independent clauses while signaling a close relation between them. Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction if the clauses are already punctuated with commas or if the clauses are lengthy. When you have a conjunctive adverb linking two independent clauses, you should use a semicolon.

Some common conjunctive adverbs include moreover, nevertheless, however, otherwise, therefore, then, finally, likewise, and consequently. The third way to use a semicolon is to insert it between two independent clauses, even when they are connected via a coordinating conjunction. This is particularly true when those independent clauses are lengthy or complex, especially when they contain commas. A punctuation mark that indicates a pause and joins two independent clauses or separates a list when the list already requires commas. Some of the most commonly used conjunctive adverbs include however, therefore, moreover, nonetheless, nevertheless, consequently, moreover, otherwise, and accordingly. While a period keeps two independent clauses apart and turns them into separate sentences, a semicolon joins them to show a close connection.

Use a semicolon to join independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction if one or both independent clauses contain distracting commas. The first and probably more confusing reason that we use a semicolon is to connect two independent clauses together. An independent clause has both a subject and a predicate and can stand by itself as a complete sentence. For example, Matt likes baseball is an independent clause, but because Matt likes baseball is not.

A semicolon is a punctuation mark that represents a more significant pause than a comma but less significant than a period. A semicolon resembles a period placed over a comma (;). The two most common reasons to use a semicolon are to join two related independent sentences or to punctuate a list or series that also uses commas. The conjunctive adverb however signals a connection between two independent clauses, and commas should not be used to connect independent clauses if there is no coordinating conjunction.

As we have stated above, semicolons can be used to join two complete sentences. Since a dependent clause does not express a complete thought, it is not a complete sentence and cannot be joined to your independent clause by a semicolon. As we have mentioned, you cannot use a semicolon to connect two unrelated independent clauses, although these can appear together as separate sentences. The semicolon is a punctuation mark that is not used as often as a period or a comma, possibly because people are afraid of using it incorrectly. This is unfortunate; the semicolon can really spice up your writing if you know how to use it.

The semicolon may be one of the trickier marks that we use, but it's not as intimidating as most people think. If you take the time to learn a little bit about the semicolon, you'll see that there is nothing to be afraid of. Both parts of the sentence are independent clauses, and commas should not be used to connect independent clauses if there is no coordinating conjunction. A semicolon is most commonly used to link two independent clauses that are closely related in thought. When a semicolon is used to join two or more ideas in a sentence, those ideas are then given equal position or rank.

There must be a comma before the conjunction but, which introduces an independent clause (see Rule 3 in ). However, the presence of six other commas in the sentence justifies the use of a semicolon to separate the two clauses and make the sentence structrure more transparent. Whether a semi-colon, comma or conjunction is used to link the two clauses is the author's choice. In the case of semi-colons, they mark the end of one independent clause and the beginning of another, so they can be used instead of a coordinating conjunction, comma or even a full stop.

Use punctuation marks to separate closely-related independent clauses. According to Dreyer, "independent sentences don't hang together well with commas unless they're as terse as 'He came, he saw, he conquered,'" he explains. The semicolon is used to indicate a pause, usually between two main clauses, that needs to be more pronounced than the pause of a comma. The hybrid between a colon and a comma, it is often considered one of the more pompous punctuation marks. In reality, it gets a bad rap just because few people know how and when to use a semicolon .

Use a semicolon to join independent clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction . The semicolon indicates a stronger division than the comma. It's main use is to join two or more independent clauses , but it is also used in some cases to separate items in a list. All of the above sentences have the exact same meaning. The main difference between them is the length of a pause and that the semicolon signals that the two sentences are closely related. However, these punctuation marks are not grammatically interchangeable; we will go over this shortly.

Both parts of the sentence are independent clauses, so a comma alone is not sufficient to join them. Instead, they must be split into two sentences, joined with a semicolon, or joined with a conjunction. The semicolon does jobs that are also done by other punctuation marks, but puts its own spin on the task.

Like a period or colon, it often marks the end of a complete clause . And like a colon, it signals that what follows it is closely related to what comes before it. The first printed semicolon was the work of the Italian printer Aldus Manutius the Elder in 1496. Manutius established the practice of using the semicolon to separate words of opposed meaning and to allow a rapid change in direction in connecting interdependent statements. Ben Jonson was the first notable English writer to use the semicolon systematically. The modern uses of the semicolon relate either to the listing of items or to the linking of related clauses.

A semicolon should be used before a conjunctive adverb that separates two independent clauses. He wanted to skip the party nevertheless, he decided to go.Add a semicolon before nevertheless. This occurs when a comma is used to connect independent clauses that do not include a coordinating conjunction.

Commas and semicolons both can separate phrases, clauses, or sentences, but they are used in different ways. Below are some of the most common ways commas and semicolons are used. The transitional phrase "in fact" has been added to the second independent clause, but the two statements can still be joined by a semicolon.