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What is a Semicolon?

The origin of the semicolon is traced back to the Italian printer Aldus Manutius the elder. He used it to separate words opposed in meaning, and to mark off interdependent statements.

The earliest general use of the semicolon in English was in 1591. Shakespeare's sonnets have semicolons, and Ben Jonson was the first notable English writer to systematically use them.

In English, the semicolon has two main purposes:

1. It binds two sentences more closely than they would be if separated by a full stop or period. It often replaces a conjunction such as and or but. A writer might consider this appropriate where they are trying to indicate a close relationship between two sentences, or a 'run-on' in meaning from one to the next; they don't wish the connection to be broken by the abrupt use of a full-stop.
2. It is used as a stronger division than a comma, to make meaning clear in a sentence where commas are already being used for other purposes. A common example of this use is to separate the items of a list when some of the items themselves contain commas.

There are several rules that govern semicolon placement:

1. Use a semicolon between closely related independent clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction: “I went to the store; it was closed.”
2. Use a semicolon between independent clauses linked with a transitional phrase or conjunctive adverb: “ I like to ride horses; however, they don't like to be ridden by me.”
3. Use a semicolon between items in a series containing internal punctuation: “There are several Waffle Houses in Atlanta, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina; Pensacola, Florida; and Mobile, Alabama.”

A semicolon can be used to separate independent clauses that are joined by coordinating conjunctions when the clauses have internal commas that might lead to misreading: “After the game, I won a red beanie baby, four edible ingots, and a certificate of excellence; but when the storm came, I lost it all in a torrent of sleet, snow, and profanity.”

Semicolons are always placed after closing quotation marks and are never followed by an uppercase letter, unless that letter begins a proper noun.

In Greek and Church Slavonic, a semicolon indicates a question, similar to a Latin question mark. To indicate a major pause or separate sections each of which includes commas (the purposes served by semicolon in English), Greek uses a Middle Dot • (Unicode character 00B7). Greek also uses Middle Dot in place of English colon.

Examples

• I am alone; my wife had to leave.
• I traveled to London, England; Tijuana, Mexico; and Reykjavík, Iceland.
• Lisa scored 2,845,770 points; Marcia, 2,312,860; and Jeff, 1,726,640.

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