{"id":1039,"date":"2013-06-06T05:57:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-06T05:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=1039"},"modified":"2026-03-25T10:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:57:13","slug":"semicolon-usage","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/semicolon-usage\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Semicolons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_G9PBhowU4Fo\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_G9PBhowU4Fo\" data-source-videoID=\"G9PBhowU4Fo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"How to Use Semicolons Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"How to Use Semicolons\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_G9PBhowU4Fo:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_G9PBhowU4Fo {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/740-how-to-use-semicolons-copy-1.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_G9PBhowU4Fo\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_G9PBhowU4Fo\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"How to Use Semicolons\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_G9PBhowU4Fo\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_G9PBhowU4Fo\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_G9PBhowU4Fo\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction K3B_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"K3B\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"K3B_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"K3B\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#What_is_a_Semicolon\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">What is a Semicolon?<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Dependent_and_Independent_Clauses\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Dependent and Independent Clauses<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#When_to_Use_a_Semicolon\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">When to Use a Semicolon<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Helpful_Rules_to_Remember\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Helpful Rules to Remember<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label><input id=\"FAQs\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"FAQs\">FAQs<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Let\u2019s talk about semicolons.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_a_Semicolon\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>What is a Semicolon?<\/h2>\n<p>\nPunctuation is used to separate sentences, phrases, or words to further clarify a piece of writing. A semicolon, which looks like a period stacked on top of a <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/when-to-use-a-comma\/\">comma<\/a>, is used most commonly to join two independent clauses without using a coordinating conjunction. <\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Dependent_and_Independent_Clauses\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Dependent and Independent Clauses<\/h2>\n<p>\n<strong>Independent clauses<\/strong> are clauses that can stand alone in a sentence as a complete thought. An independent clause always has a <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/subjects\/\">subject<\/a>, a verb, and a complete thought.<\/p>\n<p>An example of an independent clause would be the following sentence:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">Bob went to the store.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThe sentence needs no more explanation; it doesn\u2019t leave us hanging. <strong>Dependent clauses<\/strong> have subjects and verbs too, but they don\u2019t have complete thoughts. For example, look at this sentence:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">Because Bob went to the store.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThat is a dependent clause. It feels like it should have an ellipsis after it instead of a period, because the sentence isn\u2019t finished. Because Bob went to the store&#8230;what? We don\u2019t know, and that\u2019s what makes it a dependent clause. <\/p>\n<p>When you join independent clauses together, you normally have to use <strong>coordinating conjunctions<\/strong>. These are words that link other words, phrases, or clauses together, words like <em>and<\/em>, <em>but<\/em>, and <em>yet<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>Now that we understand what an independent clause is and what a conjunction is, let\u2019s look back at our definition of a semicolon: punctuation used most commonly to join two independent clauses together without using a conjunction.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"When_to_Use_a_Semicolon\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>When to Use a Semicolon<\/h2>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s take a look at a semicolon in action. Say you had the following two sentences:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">Rina came home. She ate fried chicken for dinner.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nA period is joining the two sentences, but if we used only periods as punctuation we would have only short, choppy sentences. Let\u2019s join those two independent clauses up with a conjunction.<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">Rina came home, and she ate fried chicken for dinner.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nTo join two independent clauses together with a coordinating conjunction like <em>and<\/em> or <em>but<\/em>, you also have to use a comma before the conjunction. A comma is not sufficient by itself, and neither is the conjunction by itself. <\/p>\n<p>But, here enters our heroic semicolon. <strong>It acts like both the comma and the conjunction working together<\/strong>. While it is not grammatically correct to write &#8220;Rina came home, she ate fried chicken for dinner,&#8221; or &#8220;Rina came home and she ate fried chicken for dinner,&#8221; it is correct to write:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">Rina came home; she ate fried chicken for dinner.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nA semicolon, in this sense, functions as a \u201c, and\u201d in the sentence. Semicolons are stronger than a comma, but not as divisive as a period.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Helpful_Rules_to_Remember\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Helpful Rules to Remember<\/h2>\n<p>\nHere are some other helpful rules to remember when using semicolons:<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 20px;\">\n<strong>1. Delete the conjunction when using a semicolon.<\/strong> It\u2019s never correct to have a semicolon with a conjunction following. If you choose to use a semicolon instead of a comma to connect two independent clauses, you have to get rid of the coordinating conjunction following the comma. A semicolon stands on its own!<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Use semicolons to help with complicated lists.<\/strong> Sometimes you have to list things that have, within themselves, further clarifications. Semicolons can help with this. Look at the following sentence, for example:\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">I need the weather statistics for London, England; London, Ontario; Paris, France; and Paris, Ontario.<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 20px; margin-top: 1em;\">\nThe semicolons are separating the major cities, leaving room for the commas to serve as lesser dividers between each city and the country to which it belongs. <\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Use semicolons with conjunctive adverbs.<\/strong> Don\u2019t get scared off by this new phrase. Conjunctive adverbs are exactly how they sound\u2014adverbs that sometimes act as conjunctions. Think about words like <em>moreover<\/em>, <em>also<\/em>, <em>however<\/em>, etc. If you\u2019re using some such word to connect two independent clauses, it\u2019s much stronger to use a semicolon beforehand than a comma. <\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example.<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\">I needed a walk and some fresh air; also, I needed milk.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThe semicolon separates the first independent clause from the conjunctive adverb, which itself uses a comma to separate from the second independent clause.\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nNow that you have a firm grasp on all the good things semicolons can do, let\u2019s go over a few things they <em>can\u2019t<\/em> do. <\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 20px;\">\n<strong>1. A semicolon can\u2019t separate an independent clause from a dependent one.<\/strong>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"margin-top: 1em;\">Although they tried; they failed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 20px; margin-top: 1em;\">\nThis sentence is incorrect. \u201cAlthough they tried\u201d is a dependent clause because it does not contain a full thought. Therefore it can only be connected to the following independent clause with a comma, not a semicolon. <\/p>\n<p><strong>2. You should never capitalize words after a semicolon.<\/strong> Semicolons may be a stronger form of punctuation than a comma, but they still aren\u2019t as significant of a pause as periods are. Clauses joined by semicolons are still within the same sentence. <\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Avoid the common misconception that semicolons and colons are interchangeable.<\/strong> Colons have two periods stacked on top of each other and are often used to introduce or define something. They can be used to connect independent clauses with something as simple as a single noun, while semicolons can only connect two full independent clauses.\n<\/div>\n<p>\nWell, that\u2019s all for now! Thanks for watching!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"FAQs-spoiler\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center\"><span id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"faq-list\">\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">When do you use a semicolon?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>There are several different situations where you can use a semicolon. Perhaps the most common usage is to use semicolons to connect two independent clauses that are related to each other. Here are a couple of examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cThe mall is my favorite place to shop; everything I need is under one roof!\u201d<br \/>\u201cI recognized him; however, I could not remember his name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Semicolons also help to make clarifications among complex series. In other words, if one of the items in a series contains a comma, semicolons are used to separate the series items. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cDarius bought six apples; nine oranges, which were on sale; and a large loaf of bread.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">When do you use a semicolon in a list?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>A semicolon should be used in a list or series when the list already contains commas, and more separation between the items is needed. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cThe four people invited to the party are Sasha; Ricardo; Lea, Ricardo\u2019s sister; and Tiana.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">When do you use a semicolon vs. a colon?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>Colons are used to introduce something, like an example or list. Semicolons are used to join two independent clauses or to better organize complex lists.<\/p>\n<p>For example, here\u2019s a sentence that uses a colon to introduce a list of items:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cThere are three states that begin with the letter C: California, Colorado, and Connecticut.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a sentence that uses a semicolon to join two independent clauses:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cI\u2019ll need to find my umbrella before I leave the house; it\u2019s supposed to rain today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">When do you use a semicolon vs a comma?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>Semicolons and commas can both be used to join two independent clauses. In order to use a comma for this purpose, you must pair it with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet). To use a semicolon, you can either use the semicolon on its own or pair it with a conjunctive adverb (also, besides, however, instead, meanwhile, therefore).<\/p>\n<p>Here are two examples of a comma being used to join two independent clauses:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cJames wandered through the forest, and he came upon a moss-covered stone.\u201d<br \/>\u201cI thought she turned left, but she must have turned right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In both examples, the comma is paired with a coordinating conjunction.<\/p>\n<p>Here are two examples of a semicolon being used to join two independent clauses:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cThese cookies are delicious; I would love to have the recipe!\u201d<br \/>\u201cSome people prefer typing notes; however, I prefer to handwrite notes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/writing\/\">Return to Writing Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Writing Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99820,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-1039","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","7":"page_category-writing-videos","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1039"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279028,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1039\/revisions\/279028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}