Semicolons

There are only two situations when semicolons can be used.

Semicolons are used to separate two main clauses that are not joined by a coordinate conjunction.

• Muffin is a lazy cat; she's sleeping on the top of the refrigerator.

• He'd lost his mind; however, he hoped to find it later.

Semicolons are used to separate items in a series when the series has internal commas.

• We had an elegant dinner which consisted of several courses: green salad made of fresh mint, clover, and spinach; cold soup made from an oyster, clam, and mussel stock; and diced veal liver with a burgundy sauce.