Some people write with a word processor, tablet, or even a phone; but others, for different reasons, choose to write with a pen or pencil. Incorrect: The cow is brown, it is also old.
Correct: The cow is brown; it is also old. Both parts of the sentence are independent clauses, and commas should not be used to connect independent clauses if there is no coordinating conjunction. This mistake is known as a comma splice. Incorrect: I like cows, however, I hate the way they smell.
Correct: I like cows; however, I hate the way they smell. Even though the two clauses in the sentence above are related, we cannot use a semicolon there because the clauses are joined by the coordinating conjunction but. We can use either the semicolon there or the conjunction, but not both. Use a semicolon to join two related independent clauses in place of a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
Use a semicolon to join two related independent clauses in place of a comma and a coordinating conjunction and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet.
Make sure when you use the semicolon that the connection between the two independent clauses is clear without the coordinating conjunction. You can replace the comma and coordinating conjunction with a semicolon since the connection between the two independent clauses is clear without the coordinating conjunction. Semicolons should not be used between a dependent clause and an independent clause.
Use a semicolon between related sentences when the second sentence starts with either a conjunctive adverb or a transitional expression.
Use a semicolon to replace a period between related sentences when the second sentence starts with either a conjunctive adverb or a transitional expression, such as for example, for instance, that is, besides, accordingly, furthermore, otherwise, however, thus, therefore. Use a semicolon to replace a comma when you use a coordinating conjunction to link independent clauses that already contain commas. The comma in this case makes these independent clauses difficult to read because of the other commas in the clauses:.
In this example, using a semicolon makes it easier to read the two independent clauses on either side of the coordinating conjunction:. Use semicolons to replace commas when individual items in a series are long or contain commas. Use a semicolon instead of a comma to separate the items. Grammarly will make sure your writing is clear and mistake-free. Get Grammarly. The most common use of the semicolon is to join two independent clauses without using a conjunction like and.
Do you use a capital letter after a semicolon? The general answer is no. A semicolon should be followed by a capital letter only if the word is a proper noun or an acronym. We can go to the museum to do some research; Mondays are pretty quiet there.
Remember, semicolons are not interchangeable with commas or periods. Sounds pretty cunning to us. You can use a semicolon to join two closely related independent clauses. Martha has gone to the library; Andrew has gone to play soccer. Simply put, an independent clause also called a main clause is a standalone sentence.
It expresses a complete thought and contains a subject and predicate. This is true for correct semicolon usage too. However, when using a semicolon, the part after the punctuation mark also needs to be able to function as a standalone sentence. A semicolon is used to bring two related sentences together to accentuate their connectedness.
In the example below, you can see that a full stop also called a period is separating the two sentences:. With the full stop above, the example reads like two unrelated ideas. However, in the following example, the semicolon creates a relationship between the two ideas:.
Two independent clauses as in the example above should only be joined with a semicolon to create a complex sentence.
0コメント