{"id":6375,"date":"2018-01-04T14:33:20","date_gmt":"2018-01-04T19:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=6375"},"modified":"2022-01-19T10:41:07","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T15:41:07","slug":"consider-the-semicolon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/consider-the-semicolon\/","title":{"rendered":"Consider the Semicolon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Hanna Khash from Flickr CC<\/p><\/div>\n

It sits on our keyboards next to the L<\/em>, below the colon<\/strong>, and beside the apostrophe<\/strong> and quotation marks<\/strong>. Neither a comma <\/strong>nor a period<\/strong>, the semicolon<\/strong> is a tool for connecting thoughts, erasing confusion, and adding style to any piece of writing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never understood the confusion over how to use a semicolon, yet I\u2019ve read that writers hate it and editors regularly see it misused, overused, or not used enough. It is one of the essential punctuation marks of our language, for several good reasons, and understanding how and when to use it will make you a better writer of English.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s begin by defining why the semicolon exists. It separates two or more independent clauses<\/strong> within a sentence, particularly if those clauses aren\u2019t joined by a conjunction<\/strong>. It also separates lists or references which also contain commas. I\u2019ll cover that later. For now, we\u2019ll focus on the semicolon\u2019s place in what has come to be known as syntactic punctuation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We know that syntax<\/a> is the art of placing words in their correct order for clarity of understanding. Syntactic punctuation is the art of placing punctuation within sentences and other passages of writing to make them easier to understand. The semicolon, as far as the English language is concerned, clarifies that two seemingly unrelated clauses belong together.<\/p>\n