The Two Uses of a Semicolon (;)
The semicolon (;) serves two main purposes: it joins the parts of a sentence to imply a connection or a contrast between two thoughts, and it replaces a comma in a complex list (e.g., to separate list items that already contain commas).
- I have tried everything; nothing works.
- This movie was filmed at three locations: Tokyo, Japan; Portofino, Italy; and Olinda, Brazil.
A semicolon indicates a longer pause than a comma but a shorter one than a period. It is perhaps the most misunderstood of all punctuation marks. Many writers use it unnecessarily, while others avoid it altogether. The semicolon, however, need not be feared; it should merely be used correctly.
Between two clauses
A semicolon can be quite effective when used between two balanced clauses. Use it when you want something weaker than a period to join two independent clauses that would otherwise be separated by a period. (An independent clause is one that could stand by itself as a sentence.)
- France scored four goals in the quarterfinals; Italy scored three.
You could use a period instead of a semicolon to turn the clauses into two separate sentences. But then they would be less closely linked together.
- Many authors of how-to-write books abhor the semicolon; they claim a thought that won’t take a period is no thought at all.
You can also use a semicolon to juxtapose two thoughts.
- Maya wants to use the money to buy books; Tumkin would rather buy a motorcycle.
- Poco said he would help me; he lied.
Use a semicolon to avoid the dreaded comma splice, an error that occurs when a comma joins two independent clauses, each of which could stand alone as a sentence. Use a semicolon between such clauses (if you don’t want to use a period), not a comma.
- Incorrect: This recipe calls for six lemons, Farley has none.
Correct: This recipe calls for six lemons; Farley has none.
Before an adverb
Some adverbs (e.g., however, besides, otherwise) can be used to join two sentences (or independent clauses). Use a semicolon with such an adverb to form a single sentence and emphasize the relationship between the two clauses.
- I thought Poco would help me; however, I was wrong.
- A semicolon can be quite useful; besides, why throw away a perfectly good punctuation mark?
- Poco found the fridge empty this morning; therefore, he smashed all the plates.
- Farley broke the rules; accordingly, he will be punished.
- Give Farley some water; otherwise, he will die!
Other such adverbs that follow a semicolon are indeed, thus, hence, consequently, nevertheless, instead, etc. Note that in each of the examples above, the semicolon could be replaced by a period, but then the two clauses would not be as closely connected.
Misuse and overuse
Don’t use a semicolon where you should be using a comma or a colon or where no punctuation is needed.
- Incorrect: Farley doesn’t believe in luck; which is funny.
Correct: Farley doesn’t believe in luck, which is funny. - Incorrect: Farley packed just four things for his expedition to the North Pole; a black tie, a gold watch, a silk shirt, and dress shoes.
Correct: Farley packed just four things for his expedition to the North Pole: a black tie, a gold watch, a silk shirt, and dress shoes. - Incorrect: We sat back; and waited for nothing to happen.
Correct: We sat back and waited for nothing to happen.
Also don’t use a semicolon instead of a period unless you want two clauses to be closely connected or contrasted.
- Unnecessary: I have sent you the report; please get back to me once you have had the chance to review it.
Better: I have sent you the report. Please get back to me once you have had the chance to review it.
The semicolon is a useful implement in any writer’s toolbox. It indicates a closer relationship than that shown by a period. However, you must use it sparingly. Too many semicolons can be distracting for the reader and ruin the rhythm of your prose. Use a semicolon instead of a period only to join two closely related sentences.
In lists
If the items in a list already contain internal punctuation, such as commas, use a semicolon to separate the list items from each other. This aids readability and helps avoid confusion.
- Dates to remember are November 11, 1918; January 30, 1933; and September 1, 1939.
- We have offices in Rome, GA; London, OH; and Portland, OR.
- We offer affordable packages to Cape Canaveral, Earth; the Orbit Hotel, Mars; and the Revolving Restaurant, Neptune.
- The team comprised Anita and Tumkin, designers; Lulu and Nesbit, developers; and Farley, Maya, and Poco, content writers.
- Final scores were as follows: Germany, 5; Japan, 4; Brazil, 4; France, 3.
With elliptical clauses
The semicolon can also be used to separate elliptical clauses in a list. In such clauses, certain repeated elements, such as the verb, are omitted.
- Italy scored four goals in the quarterfinals; France, three; Germany, five.
- Silver is extracted from argentite by smelting; mercury, from cinnabar by distillation; and iron, from hematite by reduction.
In citations
Many style manuals, such as the APA Style Manual and the Chicago Manual of Style, prescribe using the semicolon as a separator in citations and reference lists. Follow the style guide specified by your university or publisher.
- Chicago, author-date: (Jekyll and Hyde 1991; Bennett 1987; Abbott and Costello 1983)
- APA: (Browning, 1843; Dickinson, 1874)
In fiction
Writers use semicolons to help readers form associations between ideas and to vary the rhythm of a text. The semicolon lends a cadence different from that offered by a period. It helps pull the reader through to the end of a thought.
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
— Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, 1877 (translated by Constance Garnett)We don’t ask what a woman does; we ask whom she belongs to.
—George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss, 1860A story has no beginning or end; arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.
— Graham Greene, The End of the Affair, 1951Its boards were bowed and creaking; it had been maltreated in its own time.
— A. S. Byatt, Possession, 1990It was more than unfair; it was lamentable.
— Rose Tremain, The Road Home, 2007It is easy to love people in memory; the hard thing is to love them when they are there in front of you.
— John Updike, My Father’s Tears and Other Stories, 2009
In poetry
In poetry, a semicolon is used in place of a period when the poet wants lines or thoughts to be linked more closely together than a period would allow. Additionally, to the reader, a semicolon signifies a shorter pause than that indicated by a period. Here are some examples.
- Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.— Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (1834) - There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create . . .— T.S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” (1915)