2. History of the Semicolon
First used by:
The Greeks and Romans in their writing
First printing of the semicolon was by Aludus Mantius in 1495.
Gain popularity in the mid 1900’s when used a lot by Edgar Allen
Poe
Definition of a semicolon :
A punctuation mark is used to connect
independent clauses and indicates a closer
relationship between the clauses than a
period does.
3. Proper Way to Use a Semicolon
It is used when you are
trying to separate units
of a series in which you
are using commas.
Example:
If you want to meet very important people in our
government, you would want to meet Barak
Obama, President of the United States; Joe Biden,
Vice-President of the United States; and Harry
Reid, Senate Majority Leader.
4. Use of the Semicolon
A semicolon is used between
two independent clauses that
could be sentences on their own.
Example:
I play volley ball; I love to play.
5. Use of the Semicolon
A semicolon can be used before an
introductory word or phrase.
Example:
If you go to a community college, you will want to
keep certain items in your back pack; for
example, highlights, pens, pencils, and a flash
drive.
6. Use of the Semicolon
A semicolon is used when two sentences are joined by
a coordinating conjunction and one or more commas
appear in the first sentence.
• Example:
If you want to lose weight, you will eat sweet
potatoes instead of regular potatoes; and that is
why we had mashed sweet potatoes for supper.
7. Misuses of the Semicolon
The most common misuse is when the semicolon is
used between and independent clause and a phrase.
Example: While they were swimming; they saw dolphins
and sharks.
Another misuse of the semicolon is when it is used
between and independent clause and a list.
The store had many items on sale; toys, shoes, clothes,
and tools.
8. References
Braun, C. (2012, November 5). A Wild Run Through History: Semicolon Use. Retrieved from Casey Braun:
http://brauncmd.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/a-wild-run-through-history-semicolon-use/
College, J. C. (n.d.). Semicolon and Colon Rules. Overland Park, Kansas: Johnson County Community College.
Retrieved from http://www.ics.uci.edu/~dramanan/teaching/ics139w_fall10/semicolons_colons.pdf
Norquest, R. (n.d.). Grammar and Composition. Retrieved from About.com:
http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/semicolonterm.htm
Rosa, A. a. (2011). The Writer's Brief Handbook. Glenview, Illinois: Pearson Education.
Straus, J. (n.d.). Semicolons. Retrieved from grammerbook.com:
http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/semicolons.asp
Wikipedia. (2013, March 1). Semicolon. Retrieved from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semicolon
