Punctuation   >>   Semicolon    Examples

Semicolon Rules

• A punctuation mark represented by: ;
• Used to link two closely related ideas (sentences)
• Used to indicate a pause, longer than a comma but shorter than a period

• Linking together two VERY closely related ideas
• Both ideas have to be complete sentences
• example:  I went to the store; unfortunately, it was closed.
• Don't use semicolons with conjunctions (and, or, but, for, yet...)
• If you need to pause with a conjunction, use a comma
• example: Our lunch tasted horrible, but we still ate it.

• Link two closely related ideas that already have punctuation (colon, dash, or comma) in them
• example:  As the weeks go by, the weather gets colder; soon winter shall come.

• Use as a 'Super Comma'
• When the items you're listing have commas in them
• This usually happens when talking about people, places, or dates
• example:  We traveled to San Francisco, CA; San Diego, CA; and Brooklyn, NY

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