• Semicolons and Colons

• Semicolon:  One of the most abused types of punctuation is the semicolon.  It is often not used correctly, or it is not used when it should be.  There are very specific ways that a semicolon can be used to join elements in a sentence.

• Independent clauses without conjunctions
• You may join two independent clauses (these can stand alone and are complete sentences) with a semicolon.  The best use of a semicolon in this instance is if the second independent clause is closely connected to the first one.  Later we will discuss how to use a semicolon in this instance to avoid what is called a comma splice.  Here are some examples:
• I needed milk; I went to the store to get more.
• In the above sentence, the second independent clause is directly related to the first one.  I could also use a period here and make two sentences, or I could use a comma with a coordinating conjunction, like "so".
• I needed milk, so I went to the store to get more.
• My family lives in Denver; I'm glad the conference is there so I can see them.
• Here is an example of when a semicolon would not be the most effective way to join independent clauses as the following two sentences are not closely connected:
• I love the movie Jurassic Park; I want to see the new Julia Roberts movie.
• Independent clauses with conjunctive adverbs
• You will use a semicolon to join two independent clauses when the second begins with what is called a conjunctive adverb (like however, moreover, therefore, nevertheless, thus.)  Additionally transitional phrases such as for example will also require a semicolon before them when they are the second independent clause.  Here are some examples:
• I tried to tell him I wanted to break up; however, he wouldn't take me seriously.
• I tried to teach them about the finer points of the English language; for example, we discussed the correct use of the semicolon at length.
• Items in subdivided lists
• This use of the semicolon also frequently gets used and abused.  We separate items in a list particularly to avoid confusion when some items are already separated by commas.  Here is an example:
• I went to the conference with my manager, Tina; my friends, Jack and Jill; and Barbara and Steve, my coworkers.

 

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