Long Live the Semicolon: Ana's Geeky Grammar Rules, Part 2!

Annacarmen4376 is back with even more handy tips to keep your writing spic-and-span! (Do people still say "spic-and-span," or is that just us and our moms?)—Sparkitors

Since it’s Geek Week, Sparklers, I thought it would be apropos to share with you my most favorite-est, most geekiest grammar rule. But, before I get there, I want to say “THANK YOU OHSO MUCH!!!!” for all your wonderful comments on my last post. I read them all (and commented on most of them, too! :D) and was so encouraged by your support! Now, without further ado…

Geeky Grammar Rule: The Uses of the Semicolon
The semicolon is probably my second favorite mark of punctuation, right next to parentheses. When you know how to properly wield the semicolon, the whole world will basically marvel at your grammectional abilities. (For those of you who weren’t here last post, grammar + perfection = grammection.) Let me describe to you what I think a semicolon would be like if it were a person (this is weird, I know, but sometimes I can’t control my inner synesthete. )

A semicolon is a 27-year-old male. He likes to wear tuxedoes. His favorite word is “brevity.” He’s a classy dude. He’s actually very a simple person; however, his façade he puts on for the public would imply the opposite. (Whoa! How did that semicolon slip in there?!) He enjoys fondue and movies in black and white. His favorite musical artist is Chopin (but secretly, when no one’s around, he puts on his Michael Jackson CD.) His house is always very clean. Almost too clean.

So, guys, that’s my interpretation of the semicolon. Maybe you can geek out and write a short story about the semicolon for your next assignment for an English assignment (or feel free to write it in the comments).

Anyway, enough with that. On to the grammar rule! *said in an authoritative voice*

The semicolon can fulfill two* purposes:

1. To separate independent clauses

2. To separate complicated lists

Now, within that first purpose, the semicolon can appear in three different situations (hence the asterisk):

Purpose 1, Situation 1: Use a semicolon to separate independent clauses (an independent clause = [basically] a sentence) that aren’t already connected by a coordinating conjunction (the coordinating conjunctions are for [when it means because], and, nor, but, or, yet, and so.).

Por ejemplo: "I think geek week is awesome; Sparklers are officially allowed and encouraged to release their inner nerd."

Each clause on either side of the semicolon can stand alone and be a sentence by all itself (word mis-arrangement detected.). The semicolon just connects them.

Purpose 1, Situation 2: Insert a semicolon between independent clauses when they’re connected by the following words or phrases: accordingly, besides, consequently, for example, for instance, furthermore, hence, however, moreover, nevertheless, otherwise, that is, and therefore.

Such as: "I love reading the NBK columns; therefore, I am going to pledge to remain NBK for a while, too."
Don’t forget to put in a comma after the connecting word.

Purpose 1, Situation 3: Semicolons are a nice way to separate independent clauses when the clauses already contain commas.

For example: "SparkNotes, a fantastic teaching and learning supplement, is also a great place to have fun; its members are diverse, intelligent, and humorous."

See, if you didn’t have that semicolon in there, the sentence would have been really confusing (not to mention a run-on sentence, too.).

And finally, Purpose 2: Use a semicolon to separate the items in a complicated list. A complicated list is a list in which the items are defined in a manner that requires commas. The best way to explain this usage is to actually show an example, so, read on!

Example: "We bumped into a few people at the store: Stephanie, our next-door neighbor; Paul, the kid who lives in the haunted house; and Taylor, the Johnsons’ cousin from California."

Like P1S3, without the semicolons, the sentence would be so hard to understand.

Sorry that this was so long, but, I hope it was thorough and understandable for those of you who didn’t quite grasp the concept of our new friend, Mr. Semicolon. And, for those who previously knew the rule, join with me in a rousing rendition of “99 Marks of Punctuation on the Wall!” (Actually, let’s not and say we did. I think that song would just be too painful. Any other suggestions, guys?)

Much grammar love from,
Annacarmen4376 <3

We absolutely ADORE the semicolon, and we're so glad Anna explained it! What's your favorite punctuation mark?

Related post: Anna's Real* Quick Grammar Tips!

Want even more geeky greatness? Check out our brand-new brother site, Mindhut!