Semicolons Up Close and Writing Personal

How many of you have ever been confused about whether to use semicolons or commas in your writing? Probably you have at least once. Well, it's not that hard to know when and how to use that "half n' half" punctuation mark. If you look at a semicolon carefully, you'll see that it's half comma and half period. That's the whole point. A semicolon is a form that exists between those two uses - it's a combination of a full 'stop' in your writing (the bottom half or the period) and the top half or the comma, which is a   “semi- pause” in writing.  The reader is  thus expected to pause a bit longer when they see a semicolon  than when seeing  a comma, but not quite as long as the full stop when seeing the period at the end of a sentence.

So what are the rules you need to know to use this bizarre l bit of punctuation correctly? They're pretty simple actually. Basically, there are just 3 rules it's good to know and use:

(1) Use a semicolon to connect 2 or more independent clauses that normally would be separate sentences, but you want to combine them for some reason, and you don’t want a series of little sentences with lots of  ‘and’ use. You can't use a comma, or else you'll have a comma splice ( Whoops!) . EX 1: I went to the mall; I shopped for hours; I came home broke. OR EX 2: I wrote for 10 hours; I fell asleep at the computer. An independent clause has to have a subject and a verb or else it’s just a phrase or a group of words. It can have an object . It also can’t start with a dependent introductory word like "and", "but", "because" "when", "after" etc.  Those words start dependent clauses that can’t stand alone as their own sentences. So if you want to use semicolons to connect ideas for emphasis or effect, start using the semicolon. EX 3: “I came; I saw; I worked; I learned;  I conquered.  Here there is no object - just a subject and a verb. The construction is still independent, and it could just as easily stand alone as several small sentences if you want to present these ideas that way.

(2) Use a semicolon when you use conjunctive adverbs to connect 2 independent clauses to create a longer sentence that communicates an outcome or a result, a rationale, or an explanation. EX 4: I went to the mall; however, I didn't buy anything, so I came home with my wallet still bulging. "However" is the conjunctive adverb here, a connector word that joins these 2 independent clauses, but it  also indicates a change in one’s thinking or a conclusion. You could use "moreover" or "therefore" for "however" just as easily here. There is a pretty short list of conjunctive adverbs that good to become familiar with, so you'll know when to use that semicolon correctly. However, do note that you won't use that crazy semicolon if the conjunctive adverb starts your sentence as it does  here . Then you use the common comma instead, as I just did. I'll post a list of the typical conjunctive adverbs at the end of this piece, so you'll be more aware of them and start noticing them when they show up in your writing.

(3) The third and often less known use of the semicolon is in complex lists where it's used for clarity. When you write series that are also lists and also have commas in them, you need the semicolon to separate the multi-elements. EX 5: I visited Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; and Atlanta, Georgia. You use the semicolon here, so your reader won’t think you’re visiting Detroit, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, Cleveland, Ohio, Atlanta, and Georgia. That’s confusing geography. 

Another good example of this clarity use is full names or names with titles that need to be separated by a semicolon to avoid confusion as in EX 6 -  The meeting included our Executive Vice President, Mr. Jones; our Department Manager, Judy Ann Fisher; and our company’s Human Resources Director, Anthony Pascali.  Of course, you’ll likely remember  EX 7: I met John James; Margaret Williams; Randy McDonnell; Jeremy Atkins; and Marilyn Monroe ( Really?)

So there it is – the 3 most common uses of the semicolon in writing and a bit of  explanation to help you check your drafts for where you should or can substitute a semicolon for  a comma or a period, create a more complex structure and become an even more brilliant communicator.  There are a few more quirks of course, and I’ll try and write a P.S. on those soon.

As I promised earlier, the more common conjunctive adverbs to watch out for in your writing are: Accordingly, also, besides, certainly, consequently, conversely, finally, further, furthermore, hence, however, incidentally, indeed, instead, likewise, meanwhile, moreover, nevertheless, next, nonetheless, otherwise, similarly, specifically, still, subsequently, therefore, thus, yet.