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Even among accomplished writers, the semicolon is one of the most misused punctuation marks in the English language. Maybe you avoid using semicolons because you’re don’t know exactly how to use a semicolon, or maybe you don’t know where to put them or how to use a semicolon…or maybe you just want to stay as far away as possible.
Whatever reason you call your own, its probably great that you ended up reading this. While using a semicolon can seem hard to understand and not worth reading about, you really don’t need to know every single technicality to use them correctly. If you can keep some of these tips in the back of your mind, you’ll have no problem at all next time you run into a sticky situation with a semicolon.
The Best Ways to Use (And Not Use) A Semicolon
It goes between two independent clauses, right? Well, maybe. It’s not a period, but it’s also not a comma. What is it? How do you use a semicolon? If you can understand a few key rules of using a semicolon, you can feel more confident next time you need to use one. These are a few overlying rules of using a semicolon. While diving deep into the details of semicolon use can take a lot of time and effort you might not have, use these tips to find an easy, time efficient way to confidently use a semicolon.
Use a semicolon to show a close connection between two independent clauses that are not already separated by conjunctions such as “and” or “but.”
You can tell an independent clause from a dependent clause because it will be able to stand as a complete sentence on its own (and make sense). If two independent clauses are closely related (or maybe even meant to contradict), you can use a semicolon to separate them instead of using a period. This will eliminate the long pause that readers would typically associate with a period.
Example: A a good cup of coffee is one of my favorite things; it helps me relax and prepare for a busy day.
This simple example shows the connection between the two clauses without having the reader insert a pause between them. If there was a period instead of a semicolon, it would make both sentences seem choppy and hard to read. With a semicolon, the pause is eliminated and the independent clauses flow much better together.
Do not use semicolons with conjunctions. This is what commas are for.
Of course, there are some exceptions but for most cases this will be the rule. Conjunctions are words like and, for, but, nor, or, so, and yet. Whenever you spot one of these conjunctions lurking around in a sentence, be sure not to use a semicolon. A big red flag for using a semicolon wrongly in these situations would be that both clauses can’t stand alone in terms of sentence structure.
Example: He is a great ping pong player, but he prefers to play golf.
In this case, the conjunction “but” being present means we shouldn’t use a semicolon to separate the clauses. If we were to insert a semicolon after “player,” it would ruin the flow of the sentence and wouldn’t allow the reader to easily navigate the two clauses. They are already part of the same idea so there is no reason to throw a useless semicolon in there!
All this to say, use a semicolon when two independent clauses do not contain a conjunction such as and, yet, or but. Don’t use a semicolon when you do see one of those words. You’ll most likely need to use a comma to help the sentence flow properly. While there are deeper and more meaningful rules to all of this, these few simple tips can help you feel more comfortable using semicolons and will lead to greater success when you do have to use them.
A few final thoughts:
- Don’t capitalize the words after a semicolon.
That is, unless they are proper nouns. A semicolon is not interchangeable with a period, so there is no need to capitalize the words after a semicolon unless you would normally capitalize it no matter what the case.
- Use semicolons to help readers understand lists of various things.
Example: While learning different languages around the world, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan; Moscow, Russia; and Santiago, Chile.
Using semicolons and commas in long lists of things helps readers differentiate the ideas and understand more of what you are trying to say. This helps the flow of the sentence and separates the different messages being conveyed.
- Finally, be confident!
Semicolons may seem tricky at first glance, but being able to understand a few simple rules can really go a long way. Next time you come across the situation of whether to face a semicolon head on or avoid it, choose to use it! They can really be beneficial in your writing and can lead to a better understanding from readers and writers alike. Remember these key tips and you will be the expert on how to use a semicolon.