A semicolon is a punctuation mark that connects two independent clauses (complete sentences) that are closely related in thought but could stand alone as sentences on their own. It shows a stronger connection than a period, but weaker than a conjunction like “and” or “but.”
🔑 When do you use a semicolon?
✅ To connect two related independent clauses without a conjunction.
✅ To separate items in a complex list that already contains commas (less common but useful).
✏️ Example:
🔸 Connecting two independent clauses:
I wanted to go to the concert; however, I couldn’t find tickets.
Here, both “I wanted to go to the concert” and “I couldn’t find tickets” are complete sentences, but they are closely related. The semicolon ties them together smoothly.
🔸 Another example:
She loves reading; he prefers sports.
✏️ Example of separating items in a complex list:
We visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Madrid, Spain.
Here, the semicolon helps avoid confusion because each item already contains a comma.
So there you have it. You can now go ahead and use semicolons in your essays for your CXC prep/ CSEC prep.
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