Join two short sentences that are closely related in meaning
- Two short sentences sound choppy.
- He can’t. I can.
- A semicolon pulls them together.
- He can’t; I can.
Join two short sentences with a conjunctive adverb: however, moreover, nevertheless, consequently, furthermore, incidentally, therefore, unfortunately, on the other hand, and many more
- He can’t; however, I can.
- He likes women; moreover, he likes powerful, intelligent women.
- George hates exercise; nevertheless, he ran five miles to raise money for cancer research.
- Fred is allergic to dogs; incidentally, he owns five dogs.
- Pigs can swim; furthermore, they can survive very well in the wild.
- I showed him how stupid he was; therefore, he hated me.
- She is single, rich, and beautiful; unfortunately, she hates my guts.
- The Kansas City Royals have youth and energy; on the other hand, the Saint Louis Cardinals have age and experience.
Between items in a series when the items contain commas
- He lived in Topeka, Kansas; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Austin, Texas.
- The guest speakers will be Richard Dawkins, PhD; Marcus Welby, MD; and Albert Gore, Jr.
Semicolon Quiz
Click the answer which best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence.
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