Semicolons. Their misuse is one of my biggest peeves, simply because they are so easy to use.

There are only two situations in which you would use a semicolon.

The first is to separate two sentences that are related.

“I love my dog; she’s small and quiet.”
“Teenagers often drink without their parents’ knowledge; parents should monitor their children more closely.”

The second is to separate clauses after a colon when the use of only commas will cause confusion.

“Laura bought three dresses: the first was pink, grey and white; the second was green with horizontal yellow stripes; and the third was, for whatever reason, neon orange.”

Semicolons are not used

  • In place of colons
  • In place of commas

For any other situation except for the two mentioned above

Please — if you do not know how to properly use a semicolon, don’t use it. Semicolons don’t make an article appear more sophisticated if they are used incorrectly; they have the opposite effect.

On the other hand, a well-used semicolon is a beautiful thing. Don’t abuse it!