![]() ![]() Semicolons can be used between two independent clauses. To join two sentences.Īn independent clause is a group of words that can stand on its own (independently)-it is a complete sentence. I bought shiny, ripe apples small, sweet, juicy grapes and firm pears. The commas between items can be “bumped up” a notch and turned into semicolons, so that readers can easily tell how many items are in the list and which words go together: That middle part is a bit confusing-it doesn’t give the reader many visual cues about how many items are in the list, or about which words should be grouped together. I bought shiny, ripe apples, small, sweet, juicy grapes, and firm pears. If I use commas to separate these items, my sentence looks like this: Now suppose that the three items I want to list are described in phrases that already contain some commas: In a sentence, I would separate these items with commas: Suppose I want to list three items that I bought at the grocery store: Let’s look at an example, as that is the easiest way to understand this use of the semicolon. To help separate items in a list, when some of those items already contain commas. Here are the two most common uses of the semicolon: 1. A semicolon creates more separation between thoughts than a comma does but less than a period does. The semicolon looks like a comma with a period above it, and this can be a good way to remember what it does. After reading the handout, you will be better able to decide when to use these forms of punctuation in your own writing. ![]() This handout explains the most common uses of three kinds of punctuation: semicolons ( ), colons (:), and dashes (-). Semicolons, colons, and dashes What this handout is about ![]()
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