1. The old man in the park had a tattered coat on his back; a porkpie hat on his head; and weather beaten shoes on his feet.

2. During our January sale we are featuring the following items; boys' T-shirts, shorts, and socks.

3. Be sure to buy a notebook before classes begin; I have to be at work early tomorrow.

Notice how semicolons are used in the above sentences. In each case the semicolon is used improperly. In the first sentence, commas should be used to separate items in an ordinary list. In the second sentence, a colon (:) should follow a clause that introduces a list. The third sentence probably should have been divided into two sentences; the two clauses are not closely related and so should not be separated by a semicolon.

The three faulty examples at the top of the page represent three common ways the semicolon is misused. It would, however, be difficult and confusing to illustrate all the ways a semicolon could be misused. Luckily there are only a few ways the semicolon is used properly. By thinking for a few minutes about the common and appropriate uses of the semicolon, you should be able to use this punctuation mark with greater confidence and ease.

1. The first and most common use of the semicolon is to separate two independent clauses when you aren't using a conjunction (and, but, or) between them. Remember, however, if you have two independent clauses you can always make two simple sentences of them. You the to decide what kind of break you want between independent clauses. Here are some examples:

• We all laughed at Arnold slipping on the banana peel, but we were sorry to learn he'd broken his nose. (compound sentence with comma and conjunction)
  
• We all laughed at Arnold slipping on the banana peel. We were sorry to learn he'd broken his nose. (two separate sentences)
  
• We all laughed at Arnold slipping on the banana peel; we were sorry to learn he'd broken his nose. (semicolon between closely related independent causes)

Remember, you can use the semicolon to separate closely related independent clauses but not when you want to use a conjunction between them. Use a comma in those instances.

• The second common use of the semicolon is closely related to the first. Suppose you want to join two independent clauses, but the second one begins with a transitional word such as: accordingly, also, besides, consequently, finally, furthermore, hence, however, indeed, instead, likewise, moreover, nevertheless, otherwise, still, then, therefore, or thus.

Transitional words like these are not conjunctions so you must use more than a comma to separate the independent clauses. Just use a semicolon between the clauses, and a comma, if it seems called for, after the transitional word. For example:

• For two hours no car had stopped to pick me up; moreover, it was beginning to rain. (comma needed after transitional word)
  
• The doctor's report was not encouraging; however, we felt the laboratory tests might alleviate our anxiety. (comma needed)
  
• We finished adding the figures; then we counted the money. (no comma needed)

The final common use of the semicolon is for listing. As mentioned before, the semicolon is not used for most ordinary lists. However, if the items listed are phrases or clauses with commas appearing within them, you should use the semicolon to separate those items. One example should make this clear.

• Replenishing the stock of the wholesale house required particular attention in the purchasing of these items on specific days: apples, oranges, and bananas on Monday; beets, radishes, and celery on Tuesday; milk, wine, and soda pop on Friday.

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