A semi-colon should join two sentences that arerelated. This usually means they are about the same topic. Examples: Water is important; we cannot live without it.(Both sentences are about water.) John didn't have any money; neither did I.(Both sentences are about the lack of money.) ...
How to use a semicolon Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses that share a connection but also work as separate sentences. An independent clause is a clause that can stand on its own as a distinct sentence. Semicolons are also used in place of coordinating conjunctions like and ...
When to Use Semicolons (;) A semicolon is used to separate two ideas (two independent clauses) that are closely related. They can also be used when listing complex ideas or phrases that use commas within them. Essentially, a semicolon is like a comma with more meaning or a colon with...
You can use a semicolon to join two closely related independent clauses. Let’s put that another way. The group of words that comes before the semicolon should form a complete sentence, the group of words that comes after the semicolon should form a complete sentence, and the two sentenc...
1. Semicolons Connect Related Independent Clauses You can use a semicolon to join two closely related independent clauses. Let’s put that another way. The group of words that comes before the semicolon should form a complete sentence, the group of words that comes after the semicolon shou...
Semicolons connect two complete sentences. Semicolons can connect two related, independent clauses. Colons typically connect dependent clauses (incomplete sentences), though there are rare cases where a colon can join two independent clauses for the purpose of emphasizing the second clause. ...
Improve your powers of persuasion by mastering these 35 devices. Semicolons are optional when you use conjunctive adverbs, and it’s up to you if you want to join up the two independent clauses or leave them as separate sentences. Note that a comma cannot be used, since these are indepen...
Colons and How to Use Them Colons are used to further refine an idea or to introduce something. What really sets colons apart from semicolons is that although colons can be used to join two independent sentences, they aren’t often used that way. Instead, colons are often used to ...
Finally, you use a semicolon when you use a conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase to join two main clauses. Conjunctive adverbs are words such as “however,”“therefore,” and “indeed.” Here’s an example of how you could use them with semicolons: ...
Can a semicolon be used before and? Semi-colonscan be used before a conjunction like 'and' or 'but' to join two simple sentences, one or both of which already contain commas. The semi-colon is used in this way to outrank the commas. ...