can you help with examples of sentences with semicolon use?

Question

please kindly help me in gathering sentences with semicolon, so i can practice and understand the relation in each sentence.
please provide as many different examples as you can.
many thanks.

Answer 1

Although the following is laid out for clarity, it is nevertheless a sentence, and indicates a slightly different use of the semicolon.

The following items of equipment are needed for making wine at home:
(a) polythene buckets;
(b) jars (demijohns) with stoppers;
(c) fermentation locks; and
(d) a large funnel.

Another slightly different example involving a list of lists:

Not all British stores are to be found in every High Street. Debenhams have a branch in towns A and B; Marks and Spencer in towns A and C; and River Island in towns C, D and E.

Answer 2

The easiest way to understand semicolon usage is by thinking of joining together what might work as 2 complete sentences, but without "and", "but", etc.

Example:

It had been raining. The ground was still wet. (It's OK this way, but these are such short sentences and they are so closely related, you'd want to put them together into one sentence.)
It had been raining; the ground was still wet. (Here you go: two "independent clauses" (things that would stand as sentences if they had to) joined by a semicolon: the main legitimate way of using a semicolon.)
It had been raining, and the ground was still wet. (Well, you can do it this way, but you end up with too many ands, buts etc. if you always join shorter sentences together like this.)

You can also use a semicolon if you have a long sentence with too many commas, but you can't very well shorten the sentence. In this case you replace the most important comma with a semicolon.

Similarly, you should use a semicolon between each item in a list if each item itself contains a comma:

He asked all his friends to the party: Jane, whom he considered his girlfriend; John, who would be offended if not asked; the Thomas twins, who were always good fun; and Pat, who would come anyway and so might as well be invited formally.

Answer 3

Hi,

Semicolons are much misused, that is true. For some cracking examples of both use and mis-use, plus a clear definition of how to decide between the two, check out

http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/doc/punctuation/node00.html

Copy and paste that into your address bar, then click on "semicolon" in the list. All types of other punctuation marks are there too. Just goes to prove there's an expert who writes about everything somewhere!

Answer 4

A semicolon is between a comma and a full stop. So means a pause.

Answer 5

I can't write many; I have to go for groceries.
That last wasn't a great example; the two clauses were too different.

Answer 6

Jack was pleased with his exam results; he had worked hard to achieve them.

Not everyone could fit on board the boat; some had to wait for the next run.
.

Answer 7

A semi-colon is used when there is no connecting word (e.g. and, but, so, yet, etc).

I had walked for miles; I was nearly there.

A comma for when there is a connecting word...

I had walked for miles, but I was nearly there

Answer 8

a semicolon is used instead of a conjunction like
I can; he can't instead of I can and he can't