is this the right usage of a semicolon?
"I walked home today; however, I don't like to walk, I like to bike."

Question

is this the right usage of a semicolon?
"I walked home today;  however, I don't like to walk, I like to bike."

anonymous · Answer

I think its correct.

mani_jha · Answer

I think it should be:
I walked home today. However, I dont like to walk; I like to bike

anonymous · Answer

But, Mani Bhai, can't we use semi-colon and make it a single sentence? I am not sure by the way.

mani_jha · Answer

I think that a semi-colon is used to connect two simple sentences.
I love cars; he loves bikes.
Maybe I am wrong, it was just my intuition!

anonymous · Answer

Yeah, I think u r rite. Got it!!!!!! Thanks a lot!!!!!!!

anonymous · Answer

It think it's grammatically correct, however it might be poor style.  It also gets muddled with the use of "however" in the sentence.

anonymous · Answer

Still, its fine!!!!!!

anonymous · Answer

Grammatically, you can put a semicolon anywhere you can put a period. (Because that way you haven't got any sentence faults -- there is at least one independent clause on either side of the single semicolon.)

BUT rhetorically, you would not want to do so. That's not the correct use of the semicolon. The semicolon conjoins two or more sentences that are parallel in thought, and then either parallel or contrasting in meaning.

     Semicolons coordinate; colons explicate.

     Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.

     Artistic passion is necessary to genius; inartistic passion hinders it.

     The titles that medical paraprofessionals are given may differ; the
     complexity of their duties is the same.


You also traditionally use it with conjunctions like "however," "otherwise," "moreover," and "therefore" -- when you use such conjunctions to create one structure. You can also choose to break these into two sentences.

     You should get your brakes fixed; otherwise, you might have an accident.

     You should get your brakes fixed. Otherwise, you might have an accident.


There are other uses of the semicolon as well -- to conjoin two long or complex independent clauses, for example, when those clauses are hooked together with a coordinating conjunction -- but these two will get you started.

jagatuba · Answer

Semicolons also replace the comma in lists where items in the list may contain a comma. For example:

I have visited Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; Reno, Nevada; Boulder, Colorado; and Boise, Idaho.

anonymous · Answer

Yes, yes, yes. There you go again, being comprehensive. ; )

jagatuba · Answer

lol I know. I'm terrible huh?