When do we use semicolons?
- To join two independent clauses
The fact of the matter is that everyone is broken; we all have been born under the curse of sin.
- To join independent clauses separated by a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore…Link)
We all have been corrupted by sin; however, our actions and decisions show we truly are.
- To separate a list within a list
You may choose the any of our three categories babies, children, and teenagers; men, women, and young adults; or married, single, and divorced.
*Use semicolons even if there is only one list within a list e.g.
She visited two countries Canada, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan; and the United States.
- To separate multiple different citations
(Berkman, 2022; Fasulo & Commer, 2019; Pool et al., 2023)
- To separate different kinds of information in the same parenthesis
(The exact number was 400 people; Applebaum, 2024)
- To separate statistic data that already contains commas
(age, M = 40 years 30% CI [30.5, 74.3]; months of work, M = 6.67 [6.8, 14,2]; and total deduction, M = $150 [300, 700]
Exercise
Source
The American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th edition.
