Semicolons

Neither period nor comma, the semicolon is an exceptional and exceptionally useful punctuation mark. It can make your writing happy. This page will guide you through the proper applications of the semicolon in your own writing.

Between Independent Clauses:

Perhaps the most familiar use of the semicolon is between closely related independent clauses.In this position, the semicolon takes the place of the comma and conjunction, speeding up the readability of your sentence.

• George the cat daydreams in the front seat of Daddy's concrete mixer; her daydreams tend to be pretty solid.
  
• George is a glorious cat; she sleeps in the great window of praise.

The key to the use of the semicolon is that it will occur between two independent clauses; if your sentence does not contain two independent clauses but still contains a semicolon you need to either find another form of punctuation or revise the sentence.

With Transitional Expressions:

When linked with conjunctive adverbs and transitional expressions,the semicolon will connect two independent clauses but only when the sentence contains at least two independent clauses.

• When going out, George likes to wear high-heeled go-go boots and her green rhinestone studded cat collar; conversely, when she stays at home, George prefers to lounge about in her paisley smoking jacket.
  
• Mother always likes to pet George after a long day at the encyclopedia factory; as a matter of fact, she will pet George for an hour or more before fixing dinner.

The Semicolon in Lists:

An instance where the semicolon may appear without separating independent clauses is in longer lists where the individual items in the list contain parenthetical information set off by commas. Consider the following example:

Among the treasures George has given us are a crow, which she left at the front porch; seventeen furballs, variously colored and mainly deposited near the fireplace; a mouse, which she did not kill but offered to our son as a pet; and an occasional tulip or rose removed from the kitchen table and placed in the piano.

Source: Old Dominion University's Writing Tutorial Services