The Semicolon Zeerak Ahmed, Jamie Zychowski, Rose Zychowski

What does a ‘;’ do? A semicolon is a punctuation mark used to join two sentences or clauses. Example: –All of the students in Writing 313 are slackers; Elizabeth however, is the stellar student!

So when to use a semicolon? Rule 1: Use between closely related independent clauses. Example: In week one, no one showed up to the Writing Center; in week two the Writing Center was overflowing with students.

Rules continued Rule 2: Use semicolon between independent clauses linked to the transitional expression. –Transitional expressions (Conjunctive adverbs+ transitional phrases): therefore, for example, in fact, after all, indeed, *Remember transitional expressions are usually followed by a comma* Example: Most students love to talk in class; Michael, however, is a man of few words.

Rules continued Rule 3: Use a semicolon between items in a series containing internal punctuation. Example: Writing 313 students live all over the world; Karachi, Pakistan; Youngstown, Ohio; and the Quad, Hiram.

Misuse of the semicolon 1.Don’t use a semicolon between a subordinate clause and the rest of the sentence. -What does this mean you might ask? Misuse: Desperate to fit in with her friends; Taylor decided to watch Glee. Correct: Desperate to fit in with her friends, Taylor decided to watch Glee.

Misuse continued 2) Don’t use a semicolon between appositive(describe a noun) and the word it refers to. -What does this mean? Misuse: Rose; a young school girl; always wanted to be a lion tamer. Correct: Rose, a young school girl, always wanted to be a lion tamer.

Misuse continued 3) Don’t use a semicolon after “such as,” “including,” or “for example.” Misuse: There are a lot of things I like about boys including; their muscles, their hair, and beautiful eyes. Correct: There are a lot of things I like about boys including their muscles, their hair, and beautiful eyes.

YOUR TURN! YAY! How good is your sem(eye)colon? 1) In my dreams I travel all over the world, Venice, Italy, Montana, United States, and to the Moon, Universe. 2) Rats have intercourse twenty times a day, therefore, they have many offspring. 3) At Alcoholics Anonymous; we believe being an alcoholic is not hereditary, it is a choice. 4) In the first game of the season the team scored 20 points. In the championship game they scored 80.

Citations Hacker, D. (2009). Rules for Writers: Sixth Edition. United States of America: Bedford/St. Martin's.