Have you spent your life struggling to figure out how to use a semicolon? Well, you’re not alone! Luckily, I have the solution for you. With this punctuation tip, you’ll never go wrong again.
Knowing how to use semicolons can be really challenging, no matter how many times you are taught about them! Not to worry though, as this ultimate hack will leave you 100% accurate every time. You’ll finish this article with the semicolon as your favourite punctuation mark – it’s certainly mine…!
You are going to learn about the correct semicolon grammar and when to use a semicolon, as well as when to avoid them. You’ll soon be able to write an excellent essay with solid sentence structure, forever boosting your grades or your clarity.
This article is all about how to use a semicolon.
How to Use a Semicolon
My Key Semicolon Hack
If you remember nothing else from this article, rembmer this: semicolons are for comparison.
What do I mean by that? Well, my semicolon hack is to say that if something is being compared, a semicolon can separate the two ideas. Here’s a famous example:
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
As written by Charles Dickens in his Tale of Two Cities. Anyway, the comparison here is pretty obvious: best vs worst. Here are some more examples:
I went to the shops; Jenny went to the library.
The comparison here is between two people: ‘I’ and ‘Jenny’.
Yesterday, I phoned my mother; she didn’t answer.
The comparison here is a little more complex: first, we have a comparison between the actions of ‘I’ and the actions of ‘my mother’. Second, we have a comparison between the verbs: ‘phoned’ and ‘answer’.
James spent three hours on his homework; however, he couldn’t finish the first question.
This comparison is the trickiest. The person is the some, so the only comparison can be found in the verbs: ‘spent’ and ‘couldn’t’. Note that there is a conjunction too.
A Detailed Dive into Semicolon Grammar
Now you have read all about my top tip, here is a bit more detail on exactly when and where to use a semicolon, for those of us who always need perfect grammar!
The Semicolon Rule You Must Remember
The most important rule you need to learn is that either side of a semicolon should be a main clause. A main clause is part of a sentence that makes sense on its own, in contrast to subordinate clauses, which do not. Here’s an example of what I mean:
Freya rushed to school in the hopes of arriving on time.
Note how the main clause makes sense by itself – read the red section out loud if you are unsure. Reading the subordinate clause (blue) by itself, however, doesn’t make quite as much sense!
So if you want to use a semicolon, you must make sure either side of the semicolon makes sense by itself.
What Does a Semicolon Replace?
Semicolons can fit into a sentence in two different ways:
- Replacing a full stop
- Replacing a conjunction
Here’s an example of each in practice:
Replacing a full stop
Oliver went to the shop. Sam stayed at home.
Oliver went to the shop; Sam stayed at home.
Replacing a conjunction
Sajid wants to go to Durham but Maggy prefers Cornwall.
Sajid wants to go to Durham; Maggy prefers Cornwall.
Note the comparison in the former between what Oliver and Sam, and in the latter between Sajid and Maggy.
Semicolons in a List
Semicolons can be used in long, complex lists to make the meaning clearer. This is the trickiest use of a semicolon to get correct, so I tend to avoid it. However, it’s important to recognise its use. Here are two examples of semicolons in lists.
I need to buy eggs, for the cake; cheese, for the sandwhiches; olive oil, for the dressing; and lemonade, for the drinks.
Two years ago, I drove around Europe with my family. We went to Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; and Brussels, Belgium.
Make sure you keep that semicolon before the ‘and’. You should avoid using a comma before ‘and’ (except in a few unusual situations!), but you must keep the semicolon before the ‘and’.
Alright, that’s everything you need to know about how to use semicolons, from my top tip of checking for comparison to a brief understanding of how to use semicolons in lists. I hope it has been helpful!
This article was all about how to use a semicolon.
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