Semicolons (Emily Zeller) Leave a reply .comments-link .entry-header The Semicolon ; A little history behind the semicolon: A really smart guy named Aldus Manutius the Elder (1449-1515) was an Italian humanist and printer from the Italian Renaissance who established the grammar practice of using the semicolon to separate words of opposed meaning and to indicate interdependent statements. To put it bluntly, the semicolon serves to relate your ideas in your writing with a sense of style and sophistication. Aldus Manutius Many writers today may avoid the semicolon because they don’t think it is a necessary part of grammar structure. Many people just plain don’t know how to use it! At Exemplary English, we do not balk in fear at that which we don’t understand. I hope to eliminate the fear of this peculiar little punctuation by familiarizing learners with its basic rules and functions. Remember, all good writers sometimes struggle with even the most basic punctuation. But don’t give up! Keep practicing and you’ll get it!   Part 1: The Common Use of a Semicolon   How to effectively use a semicolon:   “The principal of the school came by our class today. He was kind of scary.” Photo: Ricardo Quintana Take a moment to read these two sentences aloud. Did you get the pause between the two ideas? Because these two sentences are separated by a period, it’s indicated that the reader must pause between the two statements.   Now read this sentence: “The principal of our school came by our class today; he was kind of scary.” Did you say the sentence without completely pausing? If so, that justifies the semicolon’s most basic function.   Remember that the period prompts a full pause whereas the semi-colon prompts a more casual pause.   Rule #1:  If you have two interdependent clauses (two sentences that can “stand” alone without depending on each other), then it is okay to use a semicolon. “The principal came by our class today; he was kind of scary.”          (This clause can stand alone)            (This clause can stand alone)   Remember that a conjunction is the part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together.  Hence… Rule #2:  We DO NOT use semicolons with conjunctions. “The principal came to our class today, but he looked really scary.” We would never write: “The principal came to our class today; but he looked really scary.” (In the first example, the comma is used because there is a but separating the two clauses.)    Rule #3: DO use a semicolon before conjunctive adverbs and transitional phrases that join independent clauses. Now hold on! Didn’t we just say not to use semicolons with conjunctions??? Yes we did. But a conjunctive adverb is slightly different than a conjunction. An adverb is a word that changes or qualifies the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, clause, sentence or any other word or phrase. Example: Mike worked very carefully on his paper. (Carefully shows how he did his paper.)   Some commonly used adverbs include but are not limited to: carefully correctly eagerly easily fast loudly patiently quickly quietly,  and well. As we mentioned above, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together. (See example above) Conjunctional adverbs are adverbs that show a transition between ideas within a sentence. Example: Emily enjoys old video games; therefore, she is a crazy nerd.   Photo: Ricardo Quintana Other commonly used conjunctional adverbs include but are not limited to: Also, consequently, conversely, finally, furthermore, hence, however, meanwhile, moreover, nevertheless, nonetheless, otherwise, similarly, subsequently, therefore, thus.   Did you notice the semicolon in the above example? Now what would happen if we took it out? Example: Emily enjoys old video games therefore, she is a crazy nerd. Doesn’t quite look and sound right does it? Example: Emily enjoys old video games; therefore, she is a crazy nerd.   Ah, much better….    You should note two things. First, the sentences joined by the semicolons are closely related in theme, which is the fundamental rule of semicolon placement. Second, note that the semicolon is placed before the conjunctive adverb or transitional phrase.   Rule # 4: To ensure that your sentence is clear, use a semicolon between items that contain internal (inside) punctuation. Compare these two examples and see if you can note the difference. Example # 1: In his adventure in Super Mario Land, Mario battled Koopas with sunglasses, fire flowers, Bob-ombs and turtle shells, Princess Peach battled using her pink parasol and high heels, the Koopas fought back by bouncing, spinning and rolling on top of him. There are quite A LOT of commas in there, aren’t there? Makes it a bit hard to read clearly, doesn’t it?  This is grammatically incorrect, a run-on sentence. So let’s rewrite the sentence using what we’ve learned from rule #4: In his adventure in Super Mario Land, Mario fought Koopas with sunglasses, fire flowers, Bob-ombs and turtle shells; Princess Peach battled using her pink parasol and high heels; the Koopas fought back by bouncing, spinning and rolling on top of him. Seems a bit clearer doesn’t it? Go get em’ Mario!        One final note: If you still are confused by semicolons and their purpose in grammar, try to visualize semicolons as your favorite hamburger topping. You wouldn’t want to put way too much ketchup, relish or mustard on your burger, would you? It would make it rather hard to eat and enjoy. It would be messy and the taste would not be very good. Remember, just as condiments complement your burger’s taste, so should a semicolon complement your writing. Do you want this burger your way? Don’t let semicolons overpower your writing. As condiments and spices bring flavor and variety to food, so should the semicolon. Now if you excuse me, I’m off to a summer barbecue for a tasty burger! Happy Writing, EZ