Semicolons
Semicolon Seymour
“Semi; not confused. I connect.”
What's the problem?
A semicolon has two main jobs. It can join two closely related independent clauses, with or without a conjunctive adverb such as "however" or "meanwhile"; for clauses, a period or a comma plus "and," "but" or "so" is often an equally valid alternative. It can also separate list items that already contain commas; in a complex list like that, our house style requires semicolons so readers can see the groups. Writers sometimes place a semicolon before a coordinating conjunction when long or complex clauses already contain commas; that is a legitimate option, not an error. A semicolon doesn't join a clause to a dependent clause or phrase. Punctuation can suggest a relationship between ideas, but it doesn't prove a factual cause. Words like "therefore" assert an inference or consequence, so use them only when the context supports that connection.
Context: A team update. The writer reports two related facts with no stated causal link, then a list of three meeting places with cities.
- ✗ Semicolon trouble
- The server is back online, the backups finished overnight. We meet in Austin, Texas, Denver, Colorado, and Salem, Oregon.
- ✓ Structure clear
- The server is back online; the backups finished overnight. We meet in Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and Salem, Oregon.
- Why it works
- The two independent clauses are joined by a semicolon (a period would also work). In the list, semicolons show where each city-state pair ends.