semicolon

Everyday

1. A semicolon is the punctuation mark ; which joins two closely linked full sentences. tree →
2. A semicolon can also separate items in a long list when the items already contain commas. tree →

In the lessons

In grammar lessons (and UK SATs), pupils learn to use a semicolon between two main clauses: «It was raining; we stayed in.» It is stronger than a comma but weaker than a full stop. In computer coding, many languages end each line with a semicolon.

Examples

• It was late; we went home. tree →
• A semicolon looks like a dot on top of a comma. tree →
• Use a semicolon to join two related sentences. tree →
• We visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Dublin, Ireland. tree →
• In some code you must end each line with a semicolon. tree →
• I love reading; my brother loves football. tree →

Note

Do not use a semicolon before «and/but» joining short clauses, and do not use it to start a list (that's a colon :). Both sides of a semicolon should usually be full sentences.