Semicolons

The semicolon is often used incorrectly. It is defined as a punctuation mark; used chiefly in a coordinating function between major sentence elements.

Semicolons function as connectors, joining two points within a single context. An example would be:

The soldiers of the U.S. Army are known for running frequently; physical fitness is emphasized daily.

In this sentence a semicolon is used instead of a period to join two closely related ideas in the same context.

Another function of the semicolon would be to use with a conjunctive adverb:

Kattie loves to administer immunizations; however, she hates inflicting pain on others.

Conjunctive adverbs are words like “however,” “therefore,” “in addition,” “subsequently.” These words are preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma when used betwee...