........... Punctuation Rules: Using a Semicolon......Semicolons are often confusing for people, and I find many mistakes when I edit manuscripts for my editing service, Editor 911. Here are some punctuation rules about the semicolon.The semicolon can be used to join two complete sentences that are related. There could be a conjunction (and, or, but), but there usually isn't. Here is an example of this semicolon rule:My dog loves to go for walks around the neighborhood; we always stop at Mrs. Smith's house for a treat.More complicated punctuation rules exist for the semicolon. One that people may find confusing is using a semicolon instead of a comma when two sentences are joined with a conjunction. You would use a semicolon if one of the sentences contains a comma. The important thing to remember with punctuation is that it is supposed to make it easier for your reader to understand what you are trying to say. Here's an example of this punctuation rule:Lisa went to the store and bought eggs, milk, and bread; but she forgot to buy cereal.Semicolons are also used when you are listing items in a series, and there are commas in the items you are listing. See the following example:My work has been published in God Allows U-Turns, Vol. 4; WOW! Women On Writing; The News-Gazette; and Grit.I used semicolons to punctuate the series of publications instead of commas because there was a comma in the title of the first publication. It may be confusing if I used commas after that, and people may think there is a publication titled, Vol. 4.Punctuation rules can be difficult, but a lot of them are common sense--especially when it comes to semicolon rules. Most of the time, a semicolon is used to make it easier for the reader to comprehend the sentence and not get confused if the writer used commas instead.for more plz visit following liinks:http://www.brighthub.com/hubfolio/margo-l-dill/blog/archive/2009/07/03/punctuation-rules-using-a-semicolon.aspx................END...............I Hope you like it.have a good day , take care and "HAPPY STUDIES'
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