Feelings about the semicolon run strong. Its proper use is a hallmark of literacy.
Traditionally, the semicolon has three uses: it can replace a comma in a series that includes interior commas, such as this one; it can replace a comma and a conjunction in a compound sentence, creating a subtle relationship between clauses; and it can be used artfully to suggest hesitations and inflections, a dangerous practice best explored in a graduate seminar on Henry James.
View more episodes of “Comma Queen.”
