1. Joining Independent Clauses:
* When the clauses are closely related in meaning:
* "The storm raged; the trees swayed violently."
* "She finished her work early; she decided to take a walk."
* When using a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, moreover, etc.):
* "The movie was long; however, it was very entertaining."
* "The team practiced hard; therefore, they were confident going into the game."
* When avoiding comma splices:
* Incorrect: "The sun was shining, the birds were singing."
* Correct: "The sun was shining; the birds were singing."
2. Separating Items in a List:
* When the items in the list themselves contain commas:
* "The guests included Mr. and Mrs. Smith, from New York; Mr. and Mrs. Jones, from California; and Mr. and Mrs. Brown, from Texas."
3. In Complex Sentences:
* For clarity when a sentence has multiple clauses and internal punctuation:
* "The dog chased the ball; it bounced down the street, over the sidewalk, and into the park."
Important Notes:
* Don't overuse semicolons: They can make your writing sound heavy or stilted.
* A semicolon should always be followed by a lowercase letter unless it's part of a title or proper noun.
* A semicolon can sometimes be used as a substitute for a conjunction (and, but, or), but this should be done sparingly.
Example:
"The old man walked slowly; he was tired from his journey. He had traveled many miles; he had seen many things; he had learned many lessons."
In this example, each semicolon connects two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning. The semicolons also help to break up the long sentence and make it easier to read.