The SemicolonThe Semicolon

Many of these images come from Matthew Inman, a 27-year-old web designer, who created the fabulous site, “The Oatmeal”--much to the delight of English teachers everywhere.

The Semicolon [;]Its main use is to combine two closely related complete sentences. Basic rule—you can use a semicolon where you would otherwise use a comma

with a small conjunction.

• I am going home, and I intend to stay there.• I am going home; I intend to stay there.

• It rained heavily during the afternoon, but we managed to have our picnic anyway.

• It rained heavily during the afternoon; we managed to have our picnic anyway.

The Semicolon [;]DON’T just join any two sentences together with a semicolon. You want to

reserve this for special occasions--for two sentences that need to get married because they have so much in common or because opposites attract!

• BAD - My aunt loves to roller skate on Sundays; I ate a bologna sandwich for lunch.

• SOMETHING IN COMMON - I was completely bewildered; what she had just told me made absolutely no sense.

• EMPHASIZE CONTRAST - The average American woman is 5’4″ and weighs 142 pounds; the average model is 5’9″ and weighs 110 pounds.

On your piece of paper, write a sentence that uses a semi-colon where you join two complete sentences together—either two sentences that need to marry one another or two that emphasize a contrast when seen back-to-back.

The Semicolon [;]You can also use a semicolon when joining two complete sentences

together with a transition word, such as however, moreover, therefore, consequently, otherwise, nevertheless, thus, ipso facto , etc.

• I instantly had a crush on him because he actually listened to me when I talked; furthermore, I couldn’t get enough of his big, dreamy brown eyes.

• The barn smelled like horse manure; however, it felt good to be out of the rain.

• Ryan loved panda bears; therefore, he constantly drew them all over his class handouts.

Now, on your piece of paper—write a sentence where you use a semi-colon to join two sentences with a transition word.SENTENCE ; TRANSITION, SENTENCE

The Semicolon [;]Using a semicolon with a transition word is especially handy for complex

thesis sentences, when you’re announcing to the reader that your argument will have two different parts.

• 1In the beginning of “The Littlest Hitler”, Davy’s excitement about his Halloween costume reveals his childhood innocence; however, 2the events of the story force him to grow up because they help him gain a more realistic understanding of the cruelty of human behavior.

The Semicolon [;]DON’T use a semicolon to offset a dependent clause or a phrase!

Wrong – Even though I was really hungry;; I let my little brother eat the rest of the pizza.Right – Even though I was really hungry,, I let my little brother eat the rest of the pizza.Wrong – I love microwavable foods;; such as Hot Pockets and Bagel Bites Mini Pizzas. Right – I love microwavable foods,, such as Hot Pockets and Bagel Bites Mini Pizzas.

The items in this list already have commas in them, so separating them with commas would be confusing. The semicolon helps the reader.

With a typical list, a comma works:

At the store I bought carrots, chocolate, Funyuns, and a case of Dr. Pepper.

MLK - Master of the Semicolon [;]In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” MLK uses the semicolon as a super comma to separate complex items in this list:• I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the

police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail;; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls;; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys;; if you were to observe them,, as they did on two occasions,, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. I cannot join you in your praise of the Birmingham police department.

The ColonThe Colon

The Colon [:]• First of all, you may only use a colon after a

complete sentence.– Wrong – This summer I plan to enjoy:: playing on the lake,

hanging out with my friends, and reading many books.– Right – This summer I plan to enjoy all of the following

activities:: playing on the lake, hanging out with my friends, and reading many books.

– Wrong – The recipe consists of:: bologna, Fritos, spicy mustard, and doughnut holes.

– Right – The recipe consists of the following ingredients:: bologna, Fritos, spicy mustard, and doughnut holes.

The Colon [:]Rule #1

• Use the colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list of items when introductory words such as namely, for example, like, or that is do not appear.– I want the following items: butter, sugar, and flour. – You may be required to bring several items: sleeping

bags, pans, and warm clothing. – The children were asked to bring certain supplies the

next day: crayons, scissors, glue, glitter, and ribbon.

The Colon [:]Rule #2

• Use a colon after a complete sentence when you want to put a lot of emphasis on an item and single it out.– There is one thing I hope you do this summer: read

a book for pleasure!– Though exhausted, there is one thing Ms. Bech

wishes was not coming to an end: spending time with her amazing A2 students!

The Colon [:]Rule #3

• Use a colon instead of a semicolon when the first sentence is a set-up that the second sentence seems to answer.• Don't overlook the most important rule: never

argue with the teacher. • Ross made a terrible mistake: he ate 14 hot dogs

and is now in a great deal of pain.• Emily became the woman we thought she would

become: she won an Olympic gold medal and found a cure for cancer.