1. Rules for Semi-Colons

2. What is a semi-colon? A semi-colon looks like this ; semi-colons may be used with a transitional expression between independent clauses or may be used alone between independent clauses that are closely related. For example, –The office’s trash can was much too small; it had to be emptied twice a day. –Elise was half an hour late; furthermore, she took an extra fifteen minutes for lunch.

3. You try it… You’ll also need to add some commas as well as circle the subject and underline the verb. The crowd fell silent not even a cough could be heard. Mike’s performance on the tennis court was better than usual however he still lost the match. In spite of her poor prognosis the woman did not die in fact she outlived her doctor. The cathedral gave the impression of immense height its spires seemed to reach the clouds.

4. Quick Write Write six sentences about what has happened to you at school so far today. Once you have written the sentences, combine as many as you can using semi-colons for those sentences which are closely related. For those that can be transitioned, combine the sentences using a semi-colon, conjunctive adverb, and comma. Here’s a list of some conjunctive adverbs you can use… AlsoFurthermoreHoweverAs a result In additionInsteadNextMeanwhile MoreoverThereforeIn fact Consequently

5. Why do some people put semi- colons in a list? Most of the time, you should use commas to join items in a series or list; however, if the items themselves contain commas, you should avoid confusion by separating the items with semi- colons. For example, –The plane made stops in Richmond, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Houston, Texas. –The journal article was written by Samuel Ellis; Jametta Holly, Ph.D.; and Laramie Spencer, M.D.

6. You Try It… Remember you must insert the semi-colons, commas, and circle the subject and verb. Almost everyone knows what happened on July 4 1776 December 7 1941 and November 22 1962. Hazel’s exams are on Friday May 18 Monday May 22 and Wednesday May 23. On our trip we plan to visit Daytona Florida Tampa Florida and St. Augustine. There are many professionals in my family: Leesa C. McRae CPA Charles M. McRae CCA H.Wade Collins III MD and Renee M. Atkinson M.Ed. Now, write three sentences of your own using this same format.