Our Friend, the Semicolon

Our Friend, the SemicolonLet’s begin with a simple sentence:

Grandma stays up too late.

Our Friend, the Semicolon

Now let’s expand on that a bit:

Grandma stays up too late. She’s afraid she’s going to miss something.

This is OK. Two independent ideas, separated by a period.

Our Friend, the SemicolonWhat if we try to combine the two ideas?

Grandma stays up too late, she’s afraid she’s going to miss something.

Something’s wrong. We connected two independent clauses with only a comma. The dreaded COMMA SPLICE!

Our Friend, the SemicolonWe could insert a coordinating conjunction:

This is better! Note the comma that accompanies the coordinating conjunction.

Grandma is afraid she’ll miss something, so she stays up too late.

Our Friend, the SemicolonWe could also try subordinating one of these ideas:

Grandma stays up too late because she’s afraid she’s going to miss something.

Notice that the comma disappeared. One idea (the second one) now depends on the other; it has become a dependent clause.

Our Friend, the Semicolon

But let’s try something else.

Our Friend, the Semicolon

Let’s try using a semicolon in this sentence.

Grandma stays up too late; she’s afraid she’s going to miss something.

Notice there is no conjunction used with this semicolon – either subordinating or coordinating.

Just the semicolon, all by itself.

Our Friend, the SemicolonSometimes semicolons are accompanied by conjunctive adverbs – words such as however, moreover, therefore, nevertheless, consequently, as a result.

Grandma is afraid she’s going to miss something; as a result, she stays up too late.

Our Friend, the Semicolon

Notice the pattern:

; as a result,

semicolon + conjunctive adverb + comma

This is a typical construction with semicolons.

Our Friend, the SemicolonThere is one other use of the semicolon: to help us sort out monster listsmonster lists, like this one:

The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor ofMathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut, VirginiaVilla, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut, PaulCreech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut, andJoan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington, Connecticut.

Our Friend, the SemicolonBe careful where you insert semicolons in this sentence.

The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor of

Mathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut; Virginia

Villa, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut ; Paul

Creech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut ; andJoan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington, Connecticut.

Our Friend, the SemicolonNow you know everything you’ll ever need to know about using semicolons!

This PowerPoint presentation was created by

Charles Darling, PhD

Professor of English and Webmaster

Capital Community College

Hartford, Connecticut

copyright November 1999