Practice<\/h3>\r\nDo\u00a0the following sentences\u00a0need a comma or a semicolon?\r\n\r\n \t- Kieran never throws anything away __ he's convinced he'll need these things someday.<\/li>\r\n \t
- Because I left my keys at my apartment __ I had to stay on campus and wait for my roommate.<\/li>\r\n \t
- Zebras are the most popular animals at my local zoo __ however, elephants are my favorite animal.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"600237\"]Click to Show Answers<\/strong>[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"600237\"]\r\n
\r\n \t- semicolon (;) A semicolon connects two complete ideas\u00a0that are connected to each other.\r\n
\r\n \t- Kieran never throws anything away; he's convinced he'll need these things someday.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
- comma (,) A\u00a0comma follows\u00a0an\u00a0introductory clause with\u00a0because<\/em>.\r\n
\r\n \t- Because I left my keys at my apartment, I had to stay on campus and wait for my roommate.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
- semicolon (;) A\u00a0semicolon (or a period) appears before\u00a0an adverbial conjunction.\r\n
\r\n \t- Zebras are the most popular animals at my local zoo; however, elephants are my favorite animal.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
Contribute!<\/h2>Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>Improve this page<\/a>Learn More<\/a>","rendered":"![\"an](\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/05\/04170350\/semi-1005x1024.png\")
The semicolon is one of the most misunderstood and misused punctuation marks; in fact, it is often mistaken for the colon (which we’ll discuss next). However, these two punctuation marks are not interchangeable. A semicolon connects two complete ideas (a complete idea has a subject and a verb) that are connected to each other. Look at this sentence for example:<\/p>\n
Anika’s statue is\u00a0presently displayed\u00a0in the center of the exhibit; this location makes it a\u00a0focal point and allows it to direct the flow of visitors to the museum.<\/p>\n
The first idea tells us where Anika’s statue is, and the second idea tells us more about the location and it’s 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.\u00a0Often, 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 (we’ll discuss those more in\u00a0Text: Run-on Sentences<\/a>). Remember: a comma can join a complete idea to other items while a semicolon needs a complete idea on either side.<\/p>\n\nPractice<\/h3>\n
Do\u00a0the following sentences\u00a0need a comma or a semicolon?<\/p>\n
\n- Kieran never throws anything away __ he’s convinced he’ll need these things someday.<\/li>\n
- Because I left my keys at my apartment __ I had to stay on campus and wait for my roommate.<\/li>\n
- Zebras are the most popular animals at my local zoo __ however, elephants are my favorite animal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nClick to Show Answers<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n- semicolon (;) A semicolon connects two complete ideas\u00a0that are connected to each other.\n
\n- Kieran never throws anything away; he’s convinced he’ll need these things someday.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- comma (,) A\u00a0comma follows\u00a0an\u00a0introductory clause with\u00a0because<\/em>.\n
\n- Because I left my keys at my apartment, I had to stay on campus and wait for my roommate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- semicolon (;) A\u00a0semicolon (or a period) appears before\u00a0an adverbial conjunction.\n
\n- Zebras are the most popular animals at my local zoo; however, elephants are my favorite animal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Contribute!<\/h2>\nDid you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>\nImprove this page<\/a>Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t \n\t\t\t Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
- \r\n \t
- semicolon (;) A semicolon connects two complete ideas\u00a0that are connected to each other.\r\n
- \r\n \t
- Kieran never throws anything away; he's convinced he'll need these things someday.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
- comma (,) A\u00a0comma follows\u00a0an\u00a0introductory clause with\u00a0because<\/em>.\r\n
- \r\n \t
- Because I left my keys at my apartment, I had to stay on campus and wait for my roommate.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
- semicolon (;) A\u00a0semicolon (or a period) appears before\u00a0an adverbial conjunction.\r\n
- \r\n \t
- Zebras are the most popular animals at my local zoo; however, elephants are my favorite animal.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
Contribute!<\/h2>
Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>Improve this page<\/a>Learn More<\/a>","rendered":"The semicolon is one of the most misunderstood and misused punctuation marks; in fact, it is often mistaken for the colon (which we’ll discuss next). However, these two punctuation marks are not interchangeable. A semicolon connects two complete ideas (a complete idea has a subject and a verb) that are connected to each other. Look at this sentence for example:<\/p>\nAnika’s statue is\u00a0presently displayed\u00a0in the center of the exhibit; this location makes it a\u00a0focal point and allows it to direct the flow of visitors to the museum.<\/p>\n
The first idea tells us where Anika’s statue is, and the second idea tells us more about the location and it’s 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.\u00a0Often, 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 (we’ll discuss those more in\u00a0Text: Run-on Sentences<\/a>). Remember: a comma can join a complete idea to other items while a semicolon needs a complete idea on either side.<\/p>\n
\nPractice<\/h3>\n
Do\u00a0the following sentences\u00a0need a comma or a semicolon?<\/p>\n
- \n
- Kieran never throws anything away __ he’s convinced he’ll need these things someday.<\/li>\n
- Because I left my keys at my apartment __ I had to stay on campus and wait for my roommate.<\/li>\n
- Zebras are the most popular animals at my local zoo __ however, elephants are my favorite animal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nClick to Show Answers<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
- \n
- semicolon (;) A semicolon connects two complete ideas\u00a0that are connected to each other.\n
- \n
- Kieran never throws anything away; he’s convinced he’ll need these things someday.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- comma (,) A\u00a0comma follows\u00a0an\u00a0introductory clause with\u00a0because<\/em>.\n
- \n
- Because I left my keys at my apartment, I had to stay on campus and wait for my roommate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- semicolon (;) A\u00a0semicolon (or a period) appears before\u00a0an adverbial conjunction.\n
- \n
- Zebras are the most popular animals at my local zoo; however, elephants are my favorite animal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Contribute!<\/h2>\n
Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>\nImprove this page<\/a>Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
- Zebras are the most popular animals at my local zoo; however, elephants are my favorite animal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
- semicolon (;) A semicolon connects two complete ideas\u00a0that are connected to each other.\n
- Zebras are the most popular animals at my local zoo; however, elephants are my favorite animal.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n