A semicolon joins two main clauses that are closely linked: “Some people love winter; others can't wait for summer.” It is stronger than a comma but weaker than a full stop.
Semicolons also separate items in a complicated list that already contains commas: “We visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Lisbon, Portugal.”
A colon introduces something that follows from the first clause: a list, an explanation or an example. A semicolon cannot come before a subordinate clause such as “because they are sweet”.
Worked example
Fix the comma splice with a semicolon: “I love maths, it is my best subject.”
- There are two main clauses joined only by a comma.
- Replace the comma with a semicolon.
Answer:I love maths; it is my best subject.
Key words
- semicolon
- a mark ; joining related main clauses
- comma splice
- two main clauses joined only by a comma
- main clause
- a clause that can stand alone
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