The logical semi-colon Review

Remember . . . The logical semi-colon is used in sentences where there are many commas. In this instance, it may help you to think of the semi-colon as a “super comma”. When you use it, you still must follow all of the other rules of punctuation . . .

Example: Behind the kitchen wall, the mouse ate the wheel of cheese; but the smart, crafty chef was waiting. Notice we have a compound sentence. The first independent clause has an introductory prepositional phrase which has a comma following it. The second independent clause has two parallel adjectives separated by a comma. The semicolon here is functioning as a comma because the independent clauses themselves has commas in them. We must use a coordinating conjunction to separate them, too!

A comma used to separate two adjectives Another example The forest filled with thick, dense underbrush seemed impassible; and the hungry, tired pioneer family slumped to the ground in despair. A comma used to separate two adjectives

Semi-colon with items in the series Same reason! Too many commas!

Assignment 1. Write 10 original sentences- 7 which illustrate the first rule and 3 which illustrate the second. For the first 7 sentences: Underline the each independent clause. Circle the commas within the independent clauses Put a square around the logical semi-colon AND the coordinating conjunction. For the second 3 sentences: Underline each item in the series. For each of those items, circle the comma within each Put a square around the logical semi-colons.