semicolon
Sign in to saveThe semicolon ' (or semi-colon') is a symbol commonly used as orthographic punctuation. In the English language, a semicolon is most commonly used to link (in a single sentence) two independent clauses that are closely related in thought, such as when restating the preceding idea with a different expression. When a semicolon joins two or more ideas in one sentence, those ideas are then given equal rank. Semicolons can also be used in place of commas to separate items in a list, particularly when the elements of the list themselves have embedded commas.
AI overview
A semicolon is a punctuation mark used to connect two independent sentences that are closely related in meaning, giving them equal importance within a single sentence. It's also useful for separating items in a list when those items already contain commas, making the overall structure clearer.
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The semicolon ' (or semi-colon') is a symbol commonly used as orthographic punctuation. In the English language, a semicolon is most commonly used to link (in a single sentence) two independent clauses that are closely related in thought, such as when restating the preceding idea with a different expression. When a semicolon joins two or more ideas in one sentence, those ideas are then given equal rank. Semicolons can also be used in place of commas to separate items in a list, particularly when the elements of the list themselves have embedded commas.
The semicolon is one of the least understood of the standard marks, and is not frequently used by many English speakers.