SEMICOLON

Use the Semicolon Between the main clauses of a compound sentence if no conjunction is used.

Examples: I win; you lose! I like to dress formally; Jennifer doesn’t. (Semicolon is in place of the conjunction but) “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” (J.F. Kennedy)

Why use a semi-colon? If the two main clauses have ideas that are closely related, you may want to join them with a semi-colon to show that close relationship. Example: Literature is the immortal part of history; it is the best and most enduring part of personality. --William Lyon Phelps, in “The Pleasure of Books”

Use the Semicolon… between main clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb or phrases like for example, in fact, for instance.

Use the semicolon to precede a conjunctive adverb (a comma follows it) Examples: Abe Lincoln had little formal education; however, His wide reading provided him with impressive knowledge. Elizabeth has always followed Canada’s Food Guide; consequently, she is healthy. I

Conjunctive Adverbs Express relationships between sentences. More examples: Jenna did not go the movies last night; rather, she stayed home and wrote her English essay. Miranda did not want to write her English essay; therefore, she watched three episodes of Friends on Netflix.

Examples Consequently similarly Therefore moreover In addition also In other words likewise Conversely as an illustration Accordingly besides Otherwise nevertheless However thus Whereas indeed On the other hand in fact Furthermore rather

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