In this article we are going to see about semicolons. Yes, we will be discussing in detail, how, when and where semicolons are used in sentences. With the help of semicolon sentence examples listed below, we can get to know several facts about semicolons.
Semicolon is a punctuation mark that is used in the English Language. Semicolon is used to connect related ideas of the same equal rank, to distinguish the items in a list and also when a transitional phrase or word is used.
Go through the following 35+ semicolon sentence examples to know more about semicolon and it’s usage.
- 1. Tomorrow is a big day; I cannot miss it at any cost.
- 2. Riya is a silent girl; her sister is a talkative girl.
- 3. It started to rain heavily; therefore, the match got canceled.
- 4. My friend has visited Paris, London; Frankfurt, Germany; and London, England.
- 5. We searched for the key everywhere; however, we did not find it anywhere.
- 6. New York is an amazing city; it’s definitely my favorite city.
- 7. My sisters favorite cartoon characters are Chutki, Chota Bheem; Daisy, Oswald; and Gwen, Ben 10.
- 8. I saw a peacock; it was dancing in the rain.
- 9. Just like how the students were taught in school; similarly, they were taught in tuition.
- 10. Preetam will join the meeting; he will be a little late.
- 11. I will buy you toys; provided, you finish your homework on time.
- 12. The children in class are from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu; Bangalore, Karnataka; and Nellore, Andhra Pradesh.
- 13. The manager tried calling her; she did not pick the calls.
- 14. We went to the market; bought fruits and vegetables.
- 15. My father called me; immediately, after the meeting got over.
- 16. Shilpa, a dancer; Shagun, a singer; Ridhi, a violinist; and Varsha, a painter are the judges for the various cultural events.
- 17. During holidays, I prefer staying home; my brother prefers going out.
- 18. My father was irritated; indeed, quite furious, over everything that happened.
- 19. He lost his mother at very young age; nevertheless, he looked upset on Mother’s Day.
- 20. You must not eat junk food; it is very bad for health.
- 21. The meeting was attended by Gupta, the manager; Sunil, the project head; and Priyansh, the team leader.
- 22. The idea Sonam presented was liked by all; it was voted the best.
- 23. The flight was delayed because of the bad weather and; furthermore, the flight had some technical issues.
- 24. Today is a holiday; we thought of going out for lunch.
- 25. I love English Language; I chose English Literature as my field of study.
- 26. He was born poor; however, because of his hard work he became wealthy.
- 27. It is my sister’s birthday today and; therefore, I gifted her, a watch.
- 28. Guru, the watchman; Rakesh, the gardener; Sandeep, the cook; and Manisha, the house help were there in the house during the time of the mishap.
- 29. We got a sudden work; we could not visit you.
- 30. Sushi prepared well for the exam; she was not able to clear it.
- 31. We won the match; despite, having less number of players in our team.
- 32. Shashank is an able leader; he will be the team leader.
- 33. My brother achieved the target given to him; as a result, he is promoted as the manager.
- 34. During our business trip last year, we travelled to Vienna, Austria; Los Angles, United States Of America; and Hamburg, Germany.
- 35. Mount Everest is the highest peak; it is located between Nepal and China.
- 36. Rakesh switched off the television; immediately, after his favorite show got over.
- 37. I like milk chocolates; my sister likes dark chocolates.
Here we will analyze the semicolon in each sentence and understand why it is used.
1. Tomorrow is a big day; I cannot miss it at any cost.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to connect two independent clauses with related ideas.
2. Riya is a silent girl; her sister is a talkative girl.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to connect two related independent clauses.
3. It started to rain heavily; therefore, the match got canceled.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the conjunctive adverb ‘therefore’ to show the transition in the sentence.
4. My friend has visited Paris, London; Frankfurt, Germany; and London, England.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to separate the list of countries, the person has visited.
5. We searched for the key everywhere; however, we did not find it anywhere.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the conjunctive adverb ‘however’ to show the transition of contrast in the sentence.
6. New York is an amazing city; it’s definitely my favorite city.
In this sentence, semicolon is used in between two related independent clauses to show the relation between the two clauses.
7. My sisters favorite cartoon characters are Chutki, Chota Bheem; Daisy, Oswald; and Gwen, Ben 10.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to separate the list of the cartoon characters belonging to various cartoons.
8. I saw a peacock; it was dancing in the rain.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to connect two related and independent main clauses.
9. Just like how the students were taught in school; similarly, they were taught in tuition.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the transition word ‘similarly’ to show the transition of similarity.
10. Preetam will join the meeting; he will be a little late.
In this sentence, semicolon is used in between two independent clauses to show their relation to each other.
11. I will buy you toys; provided, you finish your homework on time.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the transition word of condition ‘provided’.
12. The children in class are from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu; Bangalore, Karnataka; and Nellore, Andhra Pradesh.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to separate the list of states to which the students belong.
13. The manager tried calling her; she did not pick the calls.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to connect two related independent clauses.
14. We went to the market; bought fruits and vegetables.
In this sentence, semicolon is used in between two independent clauses to show the relation between the two.
15. My father called me; immediately, after the meeting got over.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the transition word of time ‘immediately’.
16. Shilpa, a dancer; Shagun, a singer; Ridhi, a violinist; and Varsha, a painter are the judges for the various cultural events.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to separate the list of people belonging to various professions.
17. During holidays, I prefer staying home; my brother prefers going out.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to connect two independent clauses that are related.
18. My father was irritated; indeed, quite furious, over everything that happened.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the transition word ‘indeed’ to emphasize the mood of the father.
19. He lost his mother at very young age; nevertheless, he looked upset on Mother’s Day.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the transition word ‘nevertheless’ to show the contrast.
20. You must not eat junk food; it is very bad for health.
In this sentence, semicolon is used in between two related independent clauses to show the relation between the two clauses.
21. The meeting was attended by Gupta, the manager; Sunil, the project head; and Priyansh, the team leader.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to separate the list of people with various designations who had attended the meeting.
22. The idea Sonam presented was liked by all; it was voted the best.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to connect two independent clauses of equal ranks with a relation.
23. The flight was delayed because of the bad weather and; furthermore, the flight had some technical issues.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the transition word ‘furthermore’ to show the additional reason for the delay of the flight.
24. Today is a holiday; we thought of going out for lunch.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to join the two independent clauses that are related to each other.
25. I love English Language; I chose English Literature as my field of study.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to connect one independent clause to another independent clause which is stating the reason for the action in the second clause.
26. He was born poor; however, because of his hard work he became wealthy.
In this sentence, semicolon is used in front of the transition word ‘however’ in order to show the contrast of being born poor and now becoming wealthy.
27. It is my sister’s birthday today and; therefore, I gifted her, a watch.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the transition word ‘therefore’ to show why I gifted her, the watch.
28. Guru, the watchman; Rakesh, the gardener; Sandeep, the cook; and Manisha, the house help were there in the house during the time of the mishap.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to separate the list of people who do various jobs in the house.
29. We got a sudden work; we could not visit you.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to connect the two related independent clauses of equal rank.
30. Sushi prepared well for the exam; she was not able to clear it.
In this sentence, semicolon is used in between the two independent clauses to show the relation and connection between the two clauses.
31. We won the match; despite, having less number of players in our team.
In this sentence, semicolon is used just before the transition word ‘despite’ to show the contrast of having less number of people and still winning the game.
32. Shashank is an able leader; he will be the team leader.
In this sentence, semicolon is used in between the two independent but related clauses to show the connection between the two clauses.
33. My brother achieved the target given to him; as a result, he is promoted as the manager.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the transition word ‘as a result’ to show the result of the brothers’ hard work and achievement of the target.
34. During our business trip last year, we travelled to Vienna, Austria; Los Angles, United States Of America; and Hamburg, Germany.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to separate the list of places in different countries travelled by the people during the business trip last year.
35. Mount Everest is the highest peak; it is located between Nepal and China.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to connect the two related independent clauses to show the connection between the two clauses.
36. Rakesh switched off the television; immediately, after his favorite show got over.
In this sentence, semicolon is used before the transition word ‘immediately’ to emphasize the time when he switched off the television.
37. I like milk chocolates; my sister likes dark chocolates.
In this sentence, semicolon is used to join the two independent clauses of equal rank to show their relation.
Frequently Asked Questions
When to use semicolon in a sentence?
A semicolon is used in between two independent clauses with related ideas in a sentence
Example: I finished my homework; I started to play.
A semicolon is used before a transitional word/phrase or a conjunctive adverb in a sentence.
Example: Priya worked very hard; hence she succeeded.
A semicolon is used to separate a list of items in a sentence.
Example: The heritage tour covers Kashi Vishwanathar Temple, Varanasi; Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi; Ragavendra Temple, Mantralaya; and ISKON Temple Mayapur.
Why to use semicolon in a sentence?
Semicolon is used in a sentence to denote a short pause which is longer than that of the commas’ and shorter than that of the full stops’. It is used to make a smooth transition and show the connection in a sentence.
Example: We go for shopping; whenever, my aunt comes home.
Here the semicolon is used to denote a short pause after the word ‘shopping’ and also to show the transition of time when they will go for shopping.
How to use semicolon in a sentence?
Semicolon must be used only when there is a need to join or connect two related independent clauses. It should be used before the transition word to show the transition.
Example: She eats well; she stays healthy.
Here, the semicolon is used instead of the coordinating conjunction ‘and’. In the place of ‘and’, the semicolon connects the two related main clauses.
Where to use semicolon in a sentence?
A semicolon is used in between the two independent clauses to denote the connection. It is used just before the transition word/phrase or conjunctive adverbs in any sentence. When there is a list of things, then semicolon is used after every item in the list.
Example: My brother is a talented boy; he is lazy
Semicolon is used in between the two independent clauses – ‘my brother is a talented boy’ and ‘he is lazy’.
Example: The match continued; despite, the heavy rain.
Semicolon is used before the transition word ‘despite’.
Example: The jury consists of Rishi, a director; Maya, an entrepreneur; Nisha, a lawyer; and Sudeep, a doctor.
Semicolon is used after every person’s profession in the list to separate them from one another.
Read More: 35+ Onomatopoeia Sentence Examples: What, How, When, Where To Use, Structure, Several Facts
Hi… I am Sowndharya Jagadeeswaran, a university rank holder in M.A. English Literature. I have also done my master’s in Business Administration. Inquisitive as I am, my interest in action-oriented research helped me publish research papers in reputed journals. Now, as a career, I am an instructor where I teach young and adorable students the intricate technicalities of Public Speaking and Creative Writing. I also enjoy writing articles on topics I specialize and research in.
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