1. Kelly Bidlake-Jamieson English 112
Mrs. J’s power point on everything you need to know to figure out Semi-colons.
Kelly Bidlake-Jamieson
English 112

2. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
identify a dependent and independent clause, subject, predicate, conjunction, and conjunctive adverb (and yes, you’ll know how to properly use a semi-colon).

3. Background information
A semi-colon can be used to join two independent clauses. What’s a clause?
It is a group of words with a subject (who or what it’s about) and a predicate (verb or action). An independent clause makes sense on its own, (for example … The game was over.).
A dependent clause has to borrow some info to make sense, (for example … After the game was over). You’re waiting for info to know what happened. You can’t use a semi-colon with dependent clauses.

4. More
Semi-colons can’t be used with a conjunction. They feud and shoot guns at each other!
What’s a conjunction? It’s a joining word like, “and”, “because” or “but”. You can have two independent clauses with a comma and a conjunction between them. It’s another choice you have as a writer.
Warning, semi-colons hate conjunctions, but commas and conjunctions have love affairs!
Example… I love cats, but I like dogs more.

5. Don’t feel sorry for the lonely semi-colon
Don’t feel sorry for the lonely semi-colon. He loves to flirt with conjunctive adverbs. Besides joining two independent clauses by itself, a semi-colon can also be used with a conjunctive adverb between those two independent clauses.
You can join a semi-colon with a conjunctive adverb.
Conjunctive adverbs are words that join whole clauses to each other and indicate the nature of the connection. Sounds like romance eh?

6. Need some examples?.
Conjunctive adverbs you might use are:
however, therefore, consequently, moreover, besides, instead, furthermore, hence, nevertheless, otherwise
1. We went to Elliott’s house; nevertheless we had a good time.
2. Ellen took cough syrup; consequently she stopped hacking in class.

7. The semi –colon has 3 main uses:
It joins two main clauses when there is no conjunction. For example…My mother is Korean; my father is German.
It joins 2 independent clauses when a conjunctive adverb is used between the clauses. For example… You are ill; therefore you should stay home.
For clearer separation, the semi-colon is used to separate complicated unrelated items. For example…We had visitors from: Goderich, Ontario; Gull Bay, Newfoundland; Winston, Quebec; and Seoul, South Korea.

8. Decide where semi-colons, commas and periods belong in the following writing…
1. We study therefore we make good marks (How else could you write this?)
2. I love Italian food Lasagna is my favorite (How else could you write this?)
3. I have several vehicles: a Ford Mustang
a Chevrolet Camaro a Lincoln Zephyr a
Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes-Benz SLK
Class Roadster

9. With which clauses do you need to use a semi-colon or a semi-colon and a conjunctive adverb, or a comma and a conjunction, or a period?
How might that look?
We went to the store; we bought ties.
We went to the store; consequently we bought ties.
We went to the store, and we bought ties.
We went to the store. We bought ties.

10. Quiz:
1.What is a conjunction? Give an example.
2.What’s the difference between a dependent clause and an independent clause?
3.What is a subject?
4.What is a predicate?
5.Which punctuation hates conjunctions?
6. Which punctuation loves conjunctions?
7.What is a conjunctive adverb? Give an example.
8. Which punctuation loves conjunctive adverbs?

11. The grammar love story is over!
,because
; however