Conquering Fears of Semicolons

The semicolon is a terrifying unit of punctuation. It is a dot ominously hovering above a teardrop, like the ascended period thinks it’s better than the lowly comma. Latin always had a flair for the dramatic, so it is no surprise that the language spawned such an abominable thing. The semicolon is so scary, in fact, that I have vivid memories of my schoolteachers sighing in frustration when instructing us. Many students, of course, implemented it incorrectly and were subsequently scolded. This led, at least in my public school, to intense anxiety around the punctuation mark. In my case, even nightmares.

Although even native English writers fear the semicolon, it is nothing to be afraid of. There are a few rules to learn, but nothing too difficult.

Avoid overusing the semicolon.

As a first note, I must mention that you can avoid using the semicolon entirely in your life. It is like memorizing historical facts—cool to know and neat to spout at parties, but entirely useless with the existence of smartphones. Similarly, too, is that people who prefer semicolons are often not using them because they are right, but rather because they can. Much like the prescriptivist adage of “don’t split your infinitives,” though, semicolons should be canned in all but formal writing.

Thus, my first piece of advice is to avoid overusing the semicolon in regular text. Too many semicolons strung together can lead to confusion for the reader. It can come across as pedantic, which is the opposite of what we want in direct communication. We should use semicolons tactfully, with purpose. In a sense, the semicolon should be hidden behind a pane of glass only to be broken in case of emergencies.

Use a semicolon to separate two independent clauses that are closely related.

Example: My mother likes ice cream; strawberry is her favorite flavor.

This is the most common use for the semicolon. You might argue that you could use a period instead, and you would be correct! It is best to reserve the semicolon only for two independent clauses that are closely linked, but a period works just as well. One could also rewrite the sentence using a comma and conjunction, but this is a matter of taste.

Use a semicolon between items in a complex list that contains commas.

Example: The conferences will take place in Chicago, Illinois; San Francisco, California; and Miami, Florida.

This is one of the most legitimate uses for the semicolon. It can separate complex lists that otherwise might lead to confusion. In the example above, because each location uses a comma between the city and state, a different mark needs to be used to separate them. Without semicolons, the reader may think that there are six conferences!

Use a semicolon before a conjunctive adverb that connects two independent clauses.

Example: I am afraid of flying; however, I board planes when visiting family.

Again, you might argue that you could use a period here instead. That would be correct! This is chiefly a case of preference

Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction if the clauses are already punctuated with commas or if the clauses are long.

Example: Some people enjoy going to clubs, restaurants, and theaters; but others, for different reasons, prefer staying home to play board games.

The above sentence is completely acceptable. For simplicity, though, you could rewrite this without the semicolon and split it into two sentences.

Semicolon sins to remember

Be sure to not capitalize words that come after a semicolon unless they are otherwise normally capitalized. That is a terrible practice, grammatically incorrect, and therefore, not optional. Don’t do it!

There is one other sin that you should not commit, and that is using a conjunction immediately after the semicolon when connecting two independent clauses. Let’s expand upon the first example.

See the difference? Notable exceptions include conjunctions in complex lists and clauses that already include commas.

That covers the basics of semicolon use. Over the years, I occasionally find myself breaking the glass to use the semicolon. It is undoubtedly a versatile, though often misused, punctuation mark. Remember that proper use is encouraged over frequent use. To drive that point home, notice that the semicolon, outside of examples, has not been used anywhere in this article!