For a grammar nerd, the semicolon is a thing of beauty. Similar to the dash, when used properly, it adds variety and pizazz to your writing. However, the average person tends to approach the semicolon with either carelessness or a mixture of fear and bewilderment—either peppering his or her writing with semicolons or avoiding them completely.
Invented by a printer in Venice during the Renaissance (14th–15th c.), the semicolon was not so narrowly defined as it is today. However, it has always been used to indicate a pause that is something between a comma and a colon. Thankfully, this punctuation mark is much more simple than it seems at first glance. After all, it essentially has two uses (unlike the numerous uses of a comma, which are seemingly elusive and a bit more complicated). If you can remember these two uses, you’ll be one step closer to using the semicolon to craft clear, concise, and interesting sentences.
First, a semicolon connects two or more stand-alone sentences (independent clauses) to indicate a close relationship between them. Here’s some examples:
“I have always enjoyed the company of cats; we share an affinity for naps and personal space.”
“Although an amateur, he was a masterful painter; as a matter of fact, his paintings were exhibited at a local art gallery in multiple shows.”
“She gossiped with her friend in a low, whispery voice; nevertheless, we could understand every word.”
In this usage, the semicolon is more similar to a period than a comma. The comma splice—the use of a comma in between two independent clauses—is a common grammatical error. However, the only time a comma should be used between two independent clauses is when the second clause begins with a coordinating conjunction. English has seven of them (a helpful mnemonic is FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so). For example, “He went grocery shopping on Wednesday, but the sale on waffles didn’t start until Thursday.” Although a period is also acceptable between two independent clauses, when those clauses are intimately related, they are best connected with a punctuation mark that is less final than a period. This is where using the semicolon can add variety to your writing.
Second, a semicolon acts as a comma when a list has one or more elements that already contain commas. This ensures that each element is clearly distinguished from its counterparts. Either the conjunction “and” or “or” is usually inserted at the beginning of the last element in the list. For example, “We toured the east coast of Canada, beginning in St. John’s, NL; then on to Halifax, NS and Fredericton, NB; and ending in Charlottetown, PEI.”
Unfortunately, these two rules leave out the answer to an important question: what’s the difference between a semicolon and a colon? After all, both punctuation marks can separate two independent clauses. In fact, there are even instances when a semicolon and a colon are interchangeable. Still, the rule of thumb is that a semicolon separates two related clauses, while a colon is used when the second clause explains or elaborates on the first clause. Typically, a colon introduces a list or a quotation, or it separates a title from a subtitle. But I’ll save the colon for another blog post.
Hopefully this short article has cleared most of the fog surrounding the dreaded semicolon so that you can use it more accurately and confidently in your writing. If you want to study the semicolon further, I’ve included a short list of accessible sources on the subject.
Resources for further study:
For an audio-visual overview of the semicolon’s main uses, I highly recommend this short TED-Ed video, entitled “How to use a semicolon - Emma Bryce.”
For authors, you can’t go wrong with The Chicago Manual of Style, the go-to guide for most publishers. Semicolons are discussed in 6.56–6.60.
For a brief and humorous punctuation overview, Lynne Truss’ Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a modern classic on the importance of punctuation in avoiding ambiguity; there’s a chapter on semicolons and colons called “Airs and Graces.”
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