AT A GLANCE

Editing for Semicolons

  • If you use semicolons, be sure they appear only between independent clauses—groups of words that can stand alone as sentences (40a)—or between items in a series. (40b)
  • If you find few or no semicolons in your writing, ask yourself whether you should add some. Would any closely related ideas in two sentences be better expressed in one sentence with a semicolon? (40a)