All About Semicolons
“The trees rustled in the wind; within their branches, birds sang sweetly.”
“On my trip, I visited Dongguan, China; Kyoto, Japan; and Phuket, Thailand.”
“She wanted a live orchestra at her wedding; however, they were already well over their budget.”
“Let’s go on a date this Friday? ;)”
A semicolon is quite a versatile tool in modern English; as seen in the examples above, it can join complete sentences, separate items in a list, and even become a little pair of eyes in a flirty emoji! Generally, semicolons are used to signal a pause or a break between ideas; they can make your sentences clear and dispel confusion on your reader’s part.
Birth of the Semicolon
The semicolon was created in 1494 by an Italian publisher, Aldus Manutius. It was created as a hybrid between a colon (:) and a comma (,), and was originally created to show a pause that was halfway between the quick pause of a comma and the lingering pause of a colon. Therefore when you see one in writing, take an extra second to pause and reflect!
How to Use a Semicolon
Join two complete sentences
First, a semicolon is most commonly used to join two independent sentences. Instead of using a period, a comma and conjunction, or only a comma (which is incorrect), place a semicolon between the two ideas.
Semicolons can also be paired with some joining words that show the relationship between the two complete sentences, including however, meanwhile, moreover, nonetheless, and besides.
It’s almost winter; soon we’ll have to wear heavy coats.
The cats stared at me; they wanted me to know without a doubt that they were hungry.
It’s too late to play outside; besides, it’s too cold to go out again.
Not many people believed in his dream; however, he proved them all wrong with the release of his first hit single, which topped the charts.
Separate items in a list
Second, a semicolon can be used in a list of items that require commas. If you are listing destinations, addresses, dates, or lists with more detail, use a semicolon to separate the items. This way, you can avoid any confusion!
The recorded dates of the comet’s appearance include July 2, 1789; August 24, 1856; and December 29, 1999.
The members of the band were Benedict, a drummer from Texas; Tiffany, a bassist from South Dakota; Jeremy, a guitarist and lead singer from Oklahoma; and Caroline, a keyboardist from Florida.
Using Semicolons Creatively
Seasoned writers know the secret that grammar rules are made to be broken. You don’t always have to use a semicolon to join together two complete sentences; sometimes, a simple comma will do, if the ideas are joined closely enough and are very short. Some examples from William Strunk and E.B. White include:
Here today, gone tomorrow.
I hardly knew him, he was so changed.
Additionally, some writers and editors discourage using semicolons, calling them pretentious or useless.
However, a few well-placed semicolons never hurt anybody, and as Benjamin Dreyer points out in his book Dreyer’s English, they can even enhance a passage. He points out their use in the opening of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, where the semicolons cause a feeling of dread as the passage creeps along:
“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
Try using some semicolons in your own work, and happy writing!
