Semicolons: The Connectors

Learning Objectives

  • Demonstrate the standard uses of semicolons

Semicolons serve as connectors in two ways: connecting two complete ideas and separating items in a list.

Connecting Two Independent Clauses

First, a semicolon can connect two complete ideas (a complete idea is an independent clause, which has a subject and a verb and can stand on its own as a sentence) that are related to each other and/or equal.

Examples: Connecting Two ideas

The golden gate bridge.

Figure 1. A semicolon is similar to a bridge- it connects two independent clauses to form a connection between ideas.

Look at this sentence for example:

  • Tamika’s statue is presently displayed in the center of the exhibit; this location makes it a focal point and allows it to direct the flow of visitors to the museum.

The first idea tells us where Tamika’s statue is, and the second idea tells us more about the location and its importance. Each of these ideas could be its own sentence, but by using a semicolon, the author is telling the reader that the two ideas are connected.

Here are a few more examples:

  • I had a salad for lunch; I wasn’t all that hungry.
  • Joe went to the soccer field; Amanda decided to go to the library.

Both of these sentences have two connected independent clauses that could both stand alone as individual sentences.

PRO TIP: Often, you may find yourself putting a comma in the place of the semicolon; this is incorrect. Using a comma here would create a run-on sentence. Remember: a comma can join a complete idea to other items while a semicolon needs a complete idea on either side.

Sometimes, we have introductory words or phrases in addition to two connected independent clauses. Don’t be confused.

Examples: introductory phrases after semicolons

Example 1: I had a salad for lunch; however, I wasn’t all that hungry.

This example can be broken into two complete sentences and is therefore correct.

  • Sentence 1: I had a salad for lunch.
  • Sentence 2: However, I wasn’t all that hungry.

“However” is an example of an introductory word or phrase.

Example 2: Joe went to the soccer field; at the same time, Amanda decided to go to the library.

This example can be broken into two complete sentences and is therefore correct.

  • Sentence 1: Joe went to the soccer field.
  • Sentence 2: At the same time, Amanda decided to go to the library.

“At the same time” is an example of an introductory word or phrase.

When Not to Use a Semicolon

A semicolon should not be used if the second part of the sentence is dependent (not a complete sentence).

Example: Independent and dependent clauses

The following sentence has one independent clause and one dependent clause, so we can’t use the semicolon to join the two:

Example: Emojis are fun to text with, because I can show how I’m really feeling.

  • Sentence: Emojis are fun to text with.
  • Not a sentence: Because I can show how I’m really feeling.

You might also remember our introductory word or clause trick:

  • In front of the sentence, use a comma.
    • Because I can show how I’m really feeling, emojis are fun to text with.
  • In the back of the sentence, do not use a comma.
    • Emojis are fun to text with because I can show how I’m really feeling.

Note: Never use a comma near “because”.

  • Emojis are fun to text with because I can show how I’m really feeling.

Separating Items in a List

Semicolons also serve to separate items in a list, especially when those items are complicated and might be confusing when listed simply with commas:

Example: Separating Lists

Example 1: Listing places containing commas

  • Written with only commas: As a photographer for National Geographic, Renato had been to a lot of different places including São Paulo, Brazil, Kobe, Japan, Kyiv, Ukraine, and Barcelona, Spain.

Using only commas makes this sentence confusing. Written this way, it sounds like Brazil and São Paulo are two different places, rather than a city within a country.

  • Written with semicolons: As a photographer for National Geographic, Renato had been to a lot of different places including São Paulo, Brazil; Kobe, Japan; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Barcelona, Spain.

Example 2: Lists that are grouped together

  • Correct use of semicolon: As an engineering assistant, I had a variety of duties: participating in pressure ventilation surveys; completing daily drafting, surveying, and data compilation; and acting as a company representative during a roof-bolt pull test.

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