The Semi-colon Demystified: The Most Confusing Piece of Punctuation Is Actually Quite Easy to Use

Here's another of my grammar articles from the old Suite101 site. For more, see the links under January 2015 on the right-hand side of the blog.

The semi-colon—a period on top of a comma—looks as if it can’t make up its mind.  There’s good reason for that: It shows a separation of thought that isn’t quite complete.

Semi-colons and colons are two pieces of punctuation that beginning writers often think of as unnecessary.  Why use them, they ask, when a comma or period will serve as well?

In fact, a comma or period can serve for most casual forms of writing. But for academic, business, and professional writing, writers must often demonstrate a greater understanding of the relationship of ideas, hence the need for colons and semi-colons.  (In a future post, I’ll deal with colons.)

There are really only two uses for a semi-colon: to join two independent clause and to separate elements in a list.

I. Join Two Independent Clauses

Use semi-colons to join two independent clauses that could stand on their own as complete sentences. A period could, of course, quite easily be used instead; however, the semi-colon demonstrates a closer relationship between the ideas, as the semi-colon did in this sentence and below:

            John went to the store.  He bought milk.

            John went to the store; he bought milk.

Of course, you can also recast the sentence in any number of ways, such as by making the first clause dependent on the second: “When John went to the store, he bought milk.”

However, the semi-colon gives us more than information; it also shows emphasis. The writer calls attention to John's purchase of milk as opposed to, say, beer or lottery tickets.

Semi-colons can also join independent clauses that would sound awkward or wordy if they were joined in another way:

The Smiths sold their house far below market value; rather than turning it into rental property, they chose to get rid of it.

In this example, you could use “because” and a comma instead of a semi-colon. However, doing so would make the sentence wordy. One of the cardinal rules of writing is never use two words when one will do.

II. Separate Elements in a Series

The other major use for semi-colons is to separate items in a series. However, they should only be used this way when the list uses internal punctuation or when needed to clarify the relationship of items in the series:

The following stops are on our itinerary: Kansas City, Missouri; Lawrence, Kansas; Denver, Colorado; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Grants, New Mexico; and Tucson, Arizona.

The semi-colons clarify that there are only six stops on the trip, not twelve.

Semi-Colons Gone Bad

Do not use a semi-colon if one of the two clauses is a dependent clause:

            You can save time by going to the store on Oak Street; and it’s cheaper.

Do not use a semi-colon in place of a comma:

            For example; they have specials on frozen food this week.

Do not use a semi-colon to introduce a quote:

            Racing down the stairs, Mitch shouted; “Leave my car alone!”

Do not use semi-colons with short lists or lists in which the relationships of the items is already clear:

The Beatles consisted of John Lennon; Paul McCartney; George Harrison; and Ringo Starr.

Test Yourself

Correct the following passage. (Answer appears at end of article.)

When moving to a new apartment, you must do several things, for example, call the utilities to have your service switched over, notify family, friends, and your employer of your change of address, and make sure you have enough money to cover moving expenses. Also, don’t forget to tell your landlord that you are moving out.

The semi-colon is actually a very useful and easy-to-use punctuation mark. It shows the relationships of ideas and keeps the reader moving forward in a way that a full stop (period) cannot. There are really only two uses for semi-colons—those identified above—and, if you master them, your writing will be better for it.

(Answer: Replace the comma after “things” with a semi-colon. No other semi-colons are needed because the relationship between “family,” “friend,” and “your employer” is already clear.)

How to Use the Comma: Rule No. 1—Using Commas with Clauses

It's a new year, so I'm inaugurating a new round of blog posting. I'll start by posting some of the helpful writing tips I wrote for the now defunct Suite 101 site a few years ago. First up: the handy but not-so-dandy comma.

The comma: the most used piece of punctuation in the English language but also the most misunderstood.  

Students of writing are often told by well-meaning teachers to put a comma in a sentence wherever they would pause while speaking the sentence. However, this is not very useful advice. Pausing may depend on the individual writer’s preference, and it may also vary from oral communication to written speech.  For example, in the sentence

 Learning to use commas the proper way can only enhance a student’s skills in writing and reading.

some speakers may pause after the word “way.”  Others may pause after “writing.”  Either way is fine; however, no commas are needed in the sentence.

Learning a few simple rules can help students and even more experienced writers communicate more effectively and avoid embarrassing mistakes. We'll start off with the admittedly arbitrary Rule No. 1: Using commas with clauses.

Independent Clauses

A clause is an arrangement of words that conveys an idea. For example, “to go to the store” conveys an idea, although it is not complete. An independent clause contains a complete thought than can be expressed as a sentence: “John went to the store.”

A sentence, by the way, needs two elements: a subject and a verb.  The shortest verse in the Bible—“Jesus wept.”—has both elements and so it is a complete sentence.

On the other hand, a dependent clause needs something to complete it. If we stick the word “After” in front of “John went to the store,” we need another clause—an independent one—to complete the thought:

                        After John went to the store, he made dinner.

Joining Independent Clauses

                                                         

Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses:

                        John went to the store, and he bought milk.

A coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so--FANBOYS, mnemonically) is a short word that clarifies the relationship between elements of a sentence. It helps writers avoid a common error known as a comma splice:

                        John went the the store, he bought milk.

If two clauses can stand alone, they should not be joined together with only a comma. This is just one of those English-language rules that writers have come to accept as true. If you violate this rule--even intentionally--you will look as if you don't know the difference. (And, let's be honest: Don't you feel like your ready to stop the sentence after "store"?)

Notice that you could also put a period or a semicolon in place of the comma, and either would work just fine.

When to Leave Out the Comma

Suppose we want to shorten the sentence:

                        John went to the store and bought milk.

Notice that the comma is removed because the phrase “bought milk” cannot stand on its own.

Test Yourself

Are commas needed in the following sentences?  (Answers appear at the end of the article.)

         a. John went to the store and Mary made dinner.

         b. Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president and was assassinated.

         c. George Washington was the first president but he never lived in the White House.

         d.  John Adams came in second in the election so he became the first vice president.

         e.  Adams later became president but served only one term.

Commas help clarify relationships between the elements of a sentence and sometimes (but not always) provide a necessary pause. Knowing when to use a comma—to separate independent clauses, for example—can save you time and embarrassment.  (Answer: commas are needed in sentences a, c, and d.)