In the sentence, the semicolon is uniting two closely connected clauses. Specifically, it connects two independent clauses that are related in thought: the first part discusses an alternative route that may encounter traffic, and the second part offers a suggestion for a different route. The semicolon effectively links these ideas together while providing a pause in the flow of the sentence.
What is the semicolon doing in this sentence?
You could take Main Street, but you would run into some traffic downtown; I'd suggest taking Laurel Street instead.
It's uniting two closely connected clauses
It's separating items in a complex list
3 answers
What are the semicolons doing in this sentence? Saihou needed a lot of new clothes for summer: swim trunks, flip-flops, and goggles for the pool; a linin shirt; and a straw hat.
In this sentence, the semicolons are used to separate items in a complex list. The list includes different categories of clothing and accessories that Saihou needed for summer. Each category itself contains multiple items (e.g., "swim trunks, flip-flops, and goggles for the pool" is one category, while "a linin shirt" and "a straw hat" are others). The semicolons help clarify the separation between these categories, making it easier to read and understand the relationships within the list.
1 answer