Using Semicolons Correctly: Capital Community College Guide

© Capital Community College
Our Friend, the Semicolon

Let’s begin with a simple sentence:
Grandma stays up too late.

Now let’s expand on that a bit:
Grandma stays up too late. She’s afraid she’s going
to miss something.
This is OK. Two independent ideas,
separated by a period.

What if we try to combine the two ideas?
Grandma stays up too late, she’s afraid she’s going
to miss something.
Something’s wrong. We connected two independent clauses
with only a comma. The dreaded COMMA SPLICE!

We could insert a coordinating conjunction:
This is better! Note the comma that accompanies
the coordinating conjunction.
Grandma is afraid she’ll miss something, so she
stays up too late.

We could also try subordinating one of these ideas:
Grandma stays up too late because she’s afraid
she’s going to miss something.
Notice that the comma disappeared. One idea (the
second one) now depends on the other; it has
become a dependent clause.

But let’s try something else.

Let’s try using a semicolon in this sentence.
Grandma stays up too late;she’s afraid she’s going
to miss something.
Notice there is no conjunction used with this
semicolon – either subordinating or coordinating.
Just the semicolon, all by itself.

Sometimes semicolons are accompanied by
conjunctive adverbs – words such as however,
moreover, therefore, nevertheless, consequently,
as a result.
Grandma is afraid she’s going to miss something;
as a result, she stays up too late.

Notice the pattern:
; as a result,
semicolon + conjunctive adverb + comma
This is a typical construction with semicolons.

There is one other use of the semicolon: to help us
sort out monster listsmonster lists, like this one:
The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor of
Mathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut, Virginia
Villa, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut, Paul
Creech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut, and
Joan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington,
Connecticut.

Be careful where you insert semicolons in this
sentence.
The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor of
Mathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut; Virginia
Villa, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut ; Paul
Creech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut ; and
Joan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington,
Connecticut.

Now you know everything you’ll ever need to know
about using semicolons!

This PowerPoint presentation was created by
Charles Darling, PhD
Professor of English and Webmaster
Capital Community College
Hartford, Connecticut
copyright November 1999

Using Semicolons Correctly: Capital Community College Guide

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