whenever i search it up its like “erhm actuchually??! you are supposed to use a semicolon between closely related independent clauses which are not joined by a coordinating conjunction!!🤓☝”
EXCUSE ME? I ONLY KNOW LIKE 5 WORDS IN THAT SENTENCE
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A semicolon can connect two complete sentences when they are talking about the same thing.
For example, both of these are correct:
I love dogs. They are man’s best friend.
I love dogs; they are man’s best friend.
A semicolon can serve as a substitute for a period when the two sentences are related. Do not use a capital letter to begin the second independent clause.
Semicolons can also be used when listing items that already include commas. They are quite helpful for avoiding confusion: “I plan to visit Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Baltimore, Maryland; and Dallas, Texas.”
Basically, you use it to string together two related sentences; one good example is the very paragraph you’re reading.
Semicolons should be used when the two individual series are longer/already contain commas.
For example, the sentence “Alex had eaten a big meal of potatoes, steak, broccoli, and cheesecake, and really enjoyed it.” Is confusing because it seems like the list is incomplete/clunky with the double “and”.
Changing it to “Alex had eaten a big meal of potatoes, steak, broccoli, and cheesecake; he really enjoyed it.” More clearly separates the two parts of the sentence.
I went to the store. They were out of eggs.
OR I went to the store, but they were out of eggs.
OR I went to the store; they were out of eggs.
NOT I went to the store; but they were out of eggs.
NOT I went to the store, they were out of eggs.
“I think x is the best solution. I don’t know a reason not to use it.”
“I think x is the best solution; I don’t know a reason not to use it.”
Both are fine. The semicolon is sometimes an artistic choice. I use it to … make the space between the two sentences shorter? So I would read it as:
“I think x is the best solution. *beat/pause* I don’t know a reason not to use it.”
“I think x is the best solution I don’t know a reason not to use it.”
As others have said, you can use the semicolon instead of a period. “Independent clause” basically means a full sentence that doesn’t need anything else to make sense on its own.
But one thing others haven’t covered is that the semicolon usually implies a connection between the two sentences that a period doesn’t.
So you could write:
“I like dogs. They are my favorite animal.”
“I like dogs; they are my favorite animal.”
In the second case, the semicolon is implying a ‘because’.
You wouldn’t use a semicolon for sentences that aren’t connected in the same causal way.
“My plans for the day are to laze around and watch TV. Maybe I’ll go grocery shopping later. And I should probably call my grandmother.”
There’s no hidden cause/effect relationship there. It’s just a random list.
A semicolon is another way to make compound sentences; it replaces the comma and conjunction.
I mostly use it by mistake when I’m typing too fast and I’m trying for an apostrophe.
Example: Don;t
Use it for when two short sentences are related enough that you could put a comma there, but it wouldn’t work grammatically.
Or it can be used to separate a list that involves commas.
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