The Art of the Semicolon

Strong Opinions About Semicolons

I’m a grammar nerd. A word nerd. A nerd. All of the above and more. I often think about punctuation. I analyze the way it’s used in the different books or articles I read. I think, hmm, would I use a comma there? Or I wonder: why did that writer use a comma there? Believe it or not, there is quite a bit of subjectivity in punctuation. There are rules, too, of course. But there’s also subjectivity.

One of my favorite punctuation marks is the semicolon. The semicolon does not seem to be well understood. Perhaps, in general, it’s underappreciated. In his book A Man Without a Country (2005), Kurt Vonnegut notoriously wrote the following: “Here’s a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college” (p. 23). He followed this up with: “And I realize some of you may be having trouble deciding whether I am kidding or not. So from now on I will tell you when I’m kidding.”

So, was he kidding or not?

Should I Use a Semicolon or Not?

To address Vonnegut’s point about semicolons and people who have gone to college, I will concede that, yes, it is true that a semicolon may have more of a place in academic writing than in creative writing. The use of the semicolon does, in fact, lend a sense of formality to writing. It even looks smart and wise, like it knows what it’s doing in the sentence. (The downside of this is that when a semicolon is used incorrectly, it sticks out, embarrassed, out of place.)

I recently read the story “Water Liars” by Barry Hannah, a story in which the semicolon is used correctly, smartly, and probably more frequently than Vonnegut would deem proper in creative writing. In my opinion, though, it works. The semicolons are inserted in places where they are doing their rightful job. They can stand proud.

For me, there is nothing worse than a misused semicolon, standing there strong and proud and completely in the wrong spot. [Read that as hyperbole; of course there are worse things than a misused semicolon.] Can you imagine how that semicolon must feel when it’s standing boldly in the wrong spot? Like it’s naked! At least when commas or “smaller” (less imposing) punctuation marks are used incorrectly, they can sometimes hide within their sentence(s). Commas, in fact, are used incorrectly so often that many people don’t even notice them. A misused semicolon, though–you notice. Well, I do.

How to Use Semicolons Correctly

I’d argue that it’s essential to know some general rules of written grammar before using a semicolon in your writing. That’s because the truth is that, for the most part, you can write perfectly fine–and correctly–without ever using a semicolon. If you need to review any grammatical terminology, check out Grammar Girl. If not, continue reading to learn the three(ish) main uses for semicolons.

1. Between two independent clauses

Two related independent clauses–no coordinating conjunction

Example: I just gave my dog a bath; she is so fluffy now.

It would be perfectly acceptable to put a period (or full stop) where the semicolon is in the above example. The decision to use one or the other is dictated purely by personal preference. Notice, though, that the clauses are directly related to each other. When you have this kind of relationship in the clauses, the semicolon serves as a kind of “half stop.” It tells the reader with certainty that these two clauses are related, that the dog is fluffy because she just had a bath.

Two independent clauses–with a coordinating conjunction

Usually when you join two independent clauses together with a coordinating conjunction, you use a comma (as in Example 1 below). But if there are other commas in the sentence, you can use a semicolon before a coordinating conjunction when you have two independent clauses. When this is the case (as in Example 2 below), the semicolon is used for clarity.

In many cases, it’s also acceptable to use a comma in place of the semicolon in sentences such as Example 2. In formal writing (e.g., academic writing), though, the general preference would be to use the semicolon, as clarity is an objective; in creative writing, though, you have more of a choice. Note: Although you could possibly use a comma in place of the semicolon in Example 2, you could not use a semicolon in place of the comma in Example 1.

Example 1: Ripley loves to eat and gobbles down his food, but Rosie picks slowly at her food at mealtime.

Example 2: My parents’ dog, Ripley, loves to eat; but my dog, Rosie, is old and stubborn, picking slowly at her food at mealtime.

Two independent clauses–with transitional words or phrases

Example: Ripley loves to eat; however, he also loves to run and play, so he works off all those calories.

In the example above, the semicolon cannot be replaced by a comma. This is one of the most frequent mistakes I see in other people’s writing. That semicolon, however, can be replaced by a period. After all, you have two independent clauses, and independent clauses can stand on their own as complete sentences. Whether or not you use a period (full stop) or semicolon is a personal preference.

There are some cases (like in the middle sentence of the above paragraph) when transitional words like however are surrounded by commas. What punctuation mark you use depends on the context and whether or not you’re using it to split up one independent clause or connect two independent clauses.

2. Parallel contrasts

Example: I have a dog; my sister, a cat.

When used in this way, the semicolon indicates that the two ideas are “parallel.” The comma after “sister” takes the place of the verb; the verb it’s replacing, though, would have to be the same as in the main clause. For example, you could not write: I drank coffee; my sister, pizza. That would mean that my sister drank pizza, which would be a little weird (although I suppose it’s theoretically possible–maybe the pizza was put in a blender?). In this way, the ideas have to be “parallel,” even though they are contrasting ideas.

In most cases, you would not use this construction for a direct comparison, such as this example: I have a dog; my sister, a dog. (However, you could add “also” (or “too”) at the end, thereby making it a clearer comparison (of sorts).)

You could have a little fun with this and compare/contrast multiple “parallel” items: I have a dog; my sister, a cat; my brother, a lion; my aunt, an iguana. In my opinion, this is a bit unnatural, but it would depend on the rest of the context. In an essay about the animals that one’s family members own, it might work. I would, however, suggest avoiding this kind of construction for multiple comparison/contrasts. There are probably better ways (again, depending on the context) to convey this information.

3. Lists with Commas

I’m not going to tout the benefits of the Oxford comma here (or argue its advantages), but I am going to use it in my examples.

When you have items in a list, you usually use commas to separate those items. Example: The poet was out of work, frustrated, and broke. Another example: The dogs’ names were Daisy, Rosie, and Ripley.

Lists can become complicated though. Check out this example: I have lived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Alexandria, Virginia, and Annandale, Virginia.

Confusing, right?

When items in a list contain commas (e.g., Williamsport, Pennsylvania), a semicolon should be used for clarification. In this way, the semicolon–ever so functional!–is acting like a comma.

Example: I have lived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Alexandria, Virginia; and Annandale, Virginia.

Much easier to read, yes?

Semicolon Assistance and More

This is not an exhaustive guide to using the semicolon properly, but it hits on its main (and typical) usages. I hope it helps!

And if you ever need more guidance on semicolons–or if you need more than just semicolon assistance–please contact me! Happy writing!

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[Post updated on 2-24-21 by the author.]