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© Capital Community College Our Friend, the Semicolon

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Page 1: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the Semicolon

Page 2: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the SemicolonLet’s begin with a simple sentence:

Grandma stays up too late.

Page 3: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the Semicolon

Now let’s expand on that a bit:

Grandma stays up too late. She’s afraid she’s going to miss something.

This is OK. Two independent ideas, separated by a period.

Page 4: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the SemicolonWhat if we try to combine the two ideas?

Grandma stays up too late, she’s afraid she’s going to miss something.

Something’s wrong. We connected two independent clauses with only a comma. The dreaded COMMA SPLICE!

Page 5: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the SemicolonWe could insert a coordinating conjunction:

This is better! Note the comma that accompanies the coordinating conjunction.

Grandma is afraid she’ll miss something, so she stays up too late.

Page 6: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the SemicolonWe could also try subordinating one of these ideas:

Grandma stays up too late because she’s afraid she’s going to miss something.

Notice that the comma disappeared. One idea (the second one) now depends on the other; it has become a dependent clause.

Page 7: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the Semicolon

But let’s try something else.

Page 8: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the Semicolon

Let’s try using a semicolon in this sentence.

Grandma stays up too late; she’s afraid she’s going to miss something.

Notice there is no conjunction used with this semicolon – either subordinating or coordinating.

Just the semicolon, all by itself.

Page 9: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the SemicolonSometimes semicolons are accompanied by conjunctive adverbs – words such as however, moreover, therefore, nevertheless, consequently, as a result.

Grandma is afraid she’s going to miss something; as a result, she stays up too late.

Page 10: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the Semicolon

Notice the pattern:

; as a result,

semicolon + conjunctive adverb + comma

This is a typical construction with semicolons.

Page 11: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the SemicolonThere is one other use of the semicolon: to help us sort out monster listsmonster lists, like this one:

The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor ofMathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut, VirginiaVilla, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut, PaulCreech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut, andJoan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington, Connecticut.

Page 12: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the SemicolonBe careful where you insert semicolons in this sentence.

The committee included Peter Wursthorn, Professor of

Mathematics, from Marlborough, Connecticut; Virginia

Villa, Professor of English, from Hartford, Connecticut ; Paul

Creech, Director of Rad-Tech, from Essex, Connecticut ; andJoan Leach, Professor of Nursing, from Farmington, Connecticut.

Page 13: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

Our Friend, the SemicolonNow you know everything you’ll ever need to know about using semicolons!

Page 14: Semicolon

© Capital Community College

This PowerPoint presentation was created by

Charles Darling, PhD

Professor of English and Webmaster

Capital Community College

Hartford, Connecticut

copyright November 1999