Yesterday we talked about stop punctuation, which is placed at the end of a complete thought.
Usually we use a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point as stop punctuation.
However, a semicolon also functions as stop punctuation inside a compound sentence.
A compound sentence is two complete thoughts.
Use a semicolon as stop punctuation between the two complete thoughts in a compound sentence.
Two separate complete thoughts:
Today is Tuesday.
You have to go to school.
We can join these two complete thoughts into one sentence, using a semicolon as stop punctuation between the two complete thoughts.
Today is Tuesday; you have to go to school.
Notice that the complete thought after the semicolon does not get capitalized because this is still just one sentence. We only capitalize the first word of a sentence.
Here are some more compound sentences using a semicolon as stop punctuation between the two complete thoughts:
I like chocolate ice cream; my dad prefers vanilla.
My twin brother is planning to go to college; I want to stay home and work.
I love the ocean; the salt breeze soothes my senses.
Notice that a semicolon in a compound sentence works best when the two complete thoughts are related in some way. Because the thoughts are related, we want them to be connected within one sentence. We separate the two thoughts with a semicolon.
Use a semicolon to separate two complete and related thoughts within a compound sentence.