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