Semicolons: Use Them Right or Lose Them

This is rehashed from a forum post from a few months back, but I thought I'd repost it here for anyone who hasn't seen it.

Semicolons. Their misuse is one of my biggest peeves, simply because they are so easy to use.

There are only two situations in which you would use a semicolon.

The first is to separate two sentences that are related.

"I love my dog; she's small and quiet."
"Teenagers often drink without their parents' knowledge; parents should monitor their children more closely."

The second is to separate clauses after a colon when the use of only commas will cause confusion.

"Laura bought three dresses: the first was pink, grey and white; the second was green with horizontal yellow stripes; and the third was, for whatever reason, neon orange."

Semicolons are not used

In place of colons
In place of commas
For any other situation except for the two mentioned above

Please -- if you do not know how to properly use a semicolon, don't use it. Semicolons don't make an article appear more sophisticated if they are used incorrectly; they have the opposite effect.

On the other hand, a well-used semicolon is a beautiful thing. Don't abuse it!

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