A semicolon (;) is used to link clauses that are related in sense but not otherwise connected by a conjunction. Unlike other punctuation marks, semicolons may be replaced in all cases by other punctuation marks or through rewording of the sentence, and their use in modern writing has diminished in favor of commas and dashes.A semicolon should be used only where the phrases on either side of it are capable of standing alone as independent sentences but have greater impact when combined in this way:The tree is in need of attention; there are plans to have it felled.
The new engine looks promising; we hope to break the speed record soon. In both of these examples the use of the semicolon adds a dynamism to the sentence that would be lacking if a period was used instead. It also improves the narrative flow.A semicolon can also serve to highlight any contrast between the two associated clauses:She wanted a new house in the suburbs; he wanted to keep things as they were. There is no rule preventing the use of more than one semicolon in a single sentence:The meeting was unruly; one side had rebellion on its mind; the other side wanted only peace. Semicolons should not be used with such conjunctions as and or but but are frequently used before such words as however, nevertheless, or nonetheless:The army is in retreat; however, this is not the end of the campaign.
His family is in a state of shock; nonetheless, life must go on. Note that in most cases a semicolon should be replaced by a comma only when there is no comma already in the sentence. In the case of creating a list, however, semicolons can be used alongside commas as a means of splitting the list into manageable parts, which are then subdivided, as appropriate, by commas:The book covers the author's childhood, youth, and early career; his most important novels, short stories, and articles; and his last works, declining health, and premature death. It should be noted that in this instance it is not essential that the phrases that appear on either side of the semicolon be complete sentences in themselves.Where a semicolon appears after a phrase in quotation marks, it should always appear after the closing quotation mark, not before:It was what my father would have called "a proper do"; no expense was spared.
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