It's not a comma… not quite a period…
Anyone else singing Britney Spears's “I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman”?
The semicolon (;) can be a confusing punctuation mark. A lot of people mistakenly use it in place of a colon (:) or comma (,) — but really, you should use it only when:
- You're linking two related yet independent clauses. You can use a semicolon to connect two sentences in place of (not in addition to!) a coordinating conjunction like “and” or “but.”
- ❌ Incorrect: The sentences should be closely related, a semicolon reinforces the relationship between them.
- ✅ Correct: The sentences should be closely related; a semicolon reinforces the relationship between them.
- You're linking two independent clauses separated by a transitional phrase. I'm talking about conjunctive adverbs like “however,” “then,” or “finally.”
- ❌ Incorrect: I am obsessed with grammar, thus, some people find me annoying.
- ✅ Correct: I am obsessed with grammar; thus, some people find me annoying.
- You aren't using the second sentence to explain the first. That's the colon's job!
- ❌ Incorrect: Here's the thing; good grammar does matter.
- ✅ Correct: Here's the thing: good grammar does matter.
- You're separating items in a list that already uses several commas. A semicolon clarifies which items in the list belong together.
- ❌ Incorrect: My favorite cities are Seville, Spain, Paris, France, and Wellington, New Zealand.
- ✅ Correct: My favorite cities are Seville, Spain; Paris, France; and Wellington, New Zealand.
Oh, and don't forget semicolon use #5: to create a winky face. ;)
How appropriate for The Weekly Wink?!
Although I use semicolons semi-frequently in my personal writing, I don't actually use them much in my online copywriting. I think they can come off as rather highbrow, when you usually want to write conversationally; plus, they can cause sentences to drag on. (There's an example of semicolon use #2 coming in handy!)
Bottom line: Use semicolons to connect two independent yet related clauses; however, use them sparingly in your copywriting, as they can sound scholastic and long-winded.
With a wink,
Sarah 😘
