Definition of the Semicolon

The semicolon (;) is an impressive mark of punctuation that you can use three ways. The first appropriate use of the semicolon is to connect two complete sentences that are close in meaning. The pattern looks like this: Complete sentence + ; + complete sentence. You can also team up a semicolon with a transition to connect two complete sentences that are close in meaning. The pattern looks like this: Complete sentence + ; + transition + , + complete sentence. Finally, use the semicolon to avoid confusion when you have complicated lists of items. The pattern looks like this: Item + , + More Information + ; + Item + , + More Information + ; + and + Item + , + More Information

"A period is a stop sign. A semicolon is a rolling stop sign; a comma is merely an amber light."  -- Andrew Offutt