20.3: Semicolons

Semicolon Use 1:

Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses (complete sentences) that are related.

Example: Kansas joined the United States in 1861; it was the 34th state to join the union.

To be sure the semicolon is correct, make sure both clauses can stand on their own as sentences.

In this case, both clauses can stand on their own as sentences: Kansas joined the United States in 1861. It was the 34th state to join the union

Pro-Tip Since you can correctly use a period or a semicolon to mark the division between these independent clauses, which is the “better” choice? The answer is, “It depends,” and what your answer depends on is your sense of just how close a relation exists between these ideas. A semicolon suggests a closer relationship between those ideas than a period does. Here, the punctuation you choose can do more for your readers than the usual work of helping them navigate your sentence’s structure. It can also help shape their thinking about the subject in the direction you want them to think about it.

Semicolon Use 2:

Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses with a transitional word or phrase.

Example: Kansas had been purchased by the United States from the French in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803; however, Kansas was not formally organized into a territory or named until 1854.

If you have a transitional phrase after a semicolon, you also need a comma after the transition. Generally, however, avoid using coordinating conjunctions with semicolons as we use them with commas to join sentences. Instead, use conjunctive adverbs or stronger transitional phrases.

Semicolon Use 3:

Use semicolons in lists when the items have internal commas.

Example: compare the following two sentences.

Incorrect: We will need to ship the material to many cities, including Kansas City, Missouri, Wichita, Kansas, Denver, Colorado, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Correct: We will need to ship the material to many cities, including Kansas City, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; Denver, Colorado; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

In the first version, using only commas to separate the place names signals to the reader that, for example, “Kansas City” and “Missouri” are both cities, which of course is not the case. The corrected version uses semicolons after the names of the states, thus making clear that we are looking at a list of cities and states.

Semicolon Overuse and Mistakes

With a growing mastery of semicolons comes the urge to use them everywhere: they really are pretty cool, as punctuation marks go. However, you can use too many semicolons, and semicolons are not appropriate in every writing situation. Semicolons are fine in formal papers, but you should generally not use more than one or two per page in an essay: Their overuse indicates that you are writing sentences that might work better if their independent clauses stood alone as discrete sentences. When writing emails, try to avoid writing sentences that use semicolons and instead opt for shorter sentences.

As stated earlier, be sure you have an independent clause on each side of a semicolon. Many times, mistakes with semicolons come when a writer will place one after an introductory clause, which is not a complete sentence. See pages 246-247 for help with introductory clauses.

Another common error occurs when writers use semicolons when they should use colons. See the discussion on colons, which comes later in this chapter, for more information; for now, it is enough to remind you that, with few exceptions, semicolons have independent clauses on each side of them, and to tell you that such is never the case with colons.

Semicolon exception: DO NOT use semicolons with coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Instead, you should use commas with these words and use semicolons with more complex transitional words and phrases, such as “however,” “although,” “on the other hand.” “for example,” etc.

See this page for video tutorial help with semicolons from Khan Academy.