68 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
68 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
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*Source: [How to use a semicolon - The Oatmeal](https://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon)*
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## Why?
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#### What's the point of a semicolon?
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The most common way to use a semicolon is to connect two independent clauses. For example:
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> The ice cream truck man drove by my house today. He had big hairy knuckles.
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The two statements are separated by a period. If read aloud, it would go something like this:
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> The ice cream truck man drove by my house today. \*take a breath\*
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> He had big hairy knuckles.
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With a semicolon, however, it would sound like this:
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> The ice cream truck man drove by my house today; he had big hairy knuckles.
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Basically what we did was eliminate the pause between the two statements without using words such as *and*, *but*, *nor*, or *yet*.
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## How?
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#### How do I use a semicolon?
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If you have two independent clauses, meaning they could stand alone as their own sentences, it's okay to use a semicolon. For example:
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> **My aunt also had hairy knuckles;**
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> This is an independent clause, meaning it could stand alone as a complete sentence.
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> **she loved to wash and comb them.**
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> This is also an independent clause; it could exist without being attached to its predecessor.
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## Don't
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#### Don't use it with conjunctions.
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Conjunctions are words like *and*, *but*, *or*, *nor*, *for*, *so*, and *yet*.
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> My aunt's hairy knuckles are magnificent indeed, but I have no desire to stroke them.
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A comma is used because there's a *but* separating the two clauses.
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## When?
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#### When should I use a semicolon?
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> I gnaw on old car tires; it strengthens my jaw so I'll be better conditioned for bear combat.
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Use a semicolon when you want to form a bond between two statements, typically when they are related to or contrast with one another.
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In the example above, the relationship between gnawing on tires and combatting bears is strengthened by using a semicolon.
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> I fought the bear and won. Also, I never kiss plague rats on the mouth.
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In this sentence, your victory against the bear does not need to be connected to the plague rat, so a period is used.
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## Pause
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#### Both bears and semicolons have pause.
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| Comma | Semicolon | Period |
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| ----------- | -------------- | ------------- |
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| Brief pause | Moderate pause | Complete stop |
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## Internal
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#### Use a semicolon to connect sentences that contain internal punctuation.
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> When dinosaurs agree on something, they'll often high five one another; dinosaurs are all about high fives.
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If you'd used a comma in this sentence, it would have resulted in a comma splice. If you'd used a period you'd lose the connection between the two clauses.
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## Super
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#### Use a semicolon as a super comma.
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> While searching for a good place to get a unicorn burger, I traveled to Seattle, Washington; Tokyo, Japan; and London, England.
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Use a semicolon if you need to make a list of items that are separated with a comma. This often occurs when listing locations, names, dates, and descriptions.
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> My favorite people include Samuel Slaughterjaws, a famous unicorn unter; my uncle Wilford, a world champion at mayonnaise eating contests; and Nikola Tesla, the most awesome dude to ever fire a lightning bolt at an angry peasant.
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The semicolon enables you to list and describe all three characters in the same sentence.
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## The End
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> Godzilla is a misunderstood creature; beneath his raging desire to set people on fire and eat them lies a gentle giant who just wants to cuddle.
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