SEMICOLON RULES with a QUIZ: How to Use Semicolons in English Writing

[@araobrito4429]

Lady, you have the gift of teaching! Congrats for your great work. I’m really happy that I found you on KZbin.

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you found my channel, too! 😃

[@nickbrooks7171]

Excelente teacher . Haven’t had the time to watch videos lately. . But soon I will come on a weekend with popcorns sit down on the couch and watch them all. I will never stop saying that she is probably the best teacher on KZbin.

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Thank you for your kind words, Nick! :) :) I don't know if these videos are worthy of popcorn on the weekends (LOL!), but I'm so glad you find them helpful!

[@himajareddy3196]

I never thought of using semicolons at all. I wouldn't know about usage of semicolons, if you had'nt taught us through this video. So, semicolons are important in Grammar . Thank you so much!! Ma'am.

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Great to hear! It's always a good thing when we learn something new :)

[@williamalmeida5868]

For advanced learners of grammar, one of the best videos. Thank you.

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Thanks so much for your support! ❤

[@72odair]

Thank you!

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

You're welcome!

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Hi there! Please don't forget to like, subscribe, or share -- I really appreciate your support! 🙏 Get my handout to help you study at home! Link in the description box above. 😃 Practice with me in the comments below. Tell me about 1-2 of your family members. Try to write a sentence that combines 2 independent clauses with a semicolon. Be sure to check out the other videos in the Sentences Series: Sentences Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLTaPDxv5nudkueBaTBejyvPM8tFNj-Wda 👍 Learn more with these resources: Grammar lessons: kzbin.info/aero/PLTaPDxv5nudnbMc7WK5e6Hz1EQrz49Yvd English Conversation lessons: kzbin.info/aero/PLTaPDxv5nudl_T3OHH_Y6K6eqJCZm0goj Pronunciation lessons: kzbin.info/aero/PLTaPDxv5nudnU_g2Dw30CikKKTCm4U1yf Writing lessons: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoLKn6ppq5x5kNk American Culture lessons: kzbin.info/aero/PLTaPDxv5nudm_ZCLhTdxBHq71v6IhzlZk My book recommendations for English learners: amzn.to/3xg7zXD 😊 Thanks for watching! See you again soon!

[@himajareddy3196]

Mine is a family of 4. My father, a meticulous, hard working man,who goes to the office early in the morning and returns at night ; My mother, a lovely angel who always cares about our welfare; My brother, energetic and enthusiastic boy, who always wants to learn something new; and me, a college going girl :)

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Perfect example! I enjoyed learning about your family. Thanks for sharing!

[@MohamadZadeh]

Awesome lessons 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Glad you like them! Thank you!!

[@nurajannat2514]

You are just making academic English a piece of cake. You cover all details in one video. Thanks, teacher!❤️

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

My pleasure 😊

[@lmachouche3862]

Thank you very much for this interesting lesson. Very helpful indeed ❤

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

You're very welcome!

[@loko8215]

Thanks for the lesson, Jenna! Huge fan here.

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

So great to hear. Thank you!!

[@mahbobehmaleki2910]

Thank you , very helpful 🙏🤓🌸

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Engstudyskill]

Huge help to me. Probably the most convincing explanation I have ever heard. QUESTION:Which sentence do you think is correct and why ? (I've seen all.) 1. To err is human, to forgive divine. 2. To err is human, to forgive, divine. 3. To err is human; to forgive divine.

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

So glad you found it helpful! Grammatically speaking, the following would be correct: To err is human; to forgive is divine. It is a compound sentence with 2 independent clauses joined with a semi-colon. It is similar to the last one you wrote except that your has the second "be" verb omitted, which is also possible. However, this sentence is from a poem written in 1711. Punctuation can differ depending on the style of writing (e.g. writing for school vs. writing for a newspaper or for friends), and certainly, punctuation in poetry, especially from 300 years ago, is different. For those reasons, it is possible to see different versions of this famous quote. :)

[@Engstudyskill]

Thank you for your detailed explanation. This had been one of my question for a long time;however, it has been answered in an instant. Great scholarship! Your explanation on You Tube sounds a little fast for a non-native speaker(me), but I can hear almost all because you speak very clearly and intelligibly. I would like to support your activity by watching your videos as many and as often as I can.

[@mohdags420]

Semicolons demystified!!! 😃👍Thanks so much, Jenna. This is going to be my go-to video/handout every time I'm not sure about my semicolons. If you allow me to go off-topic, do you have any advice for making variable nouns easier to get a handle on. Words like, skill & detail & difficulty & talent & preparation (which you used in this video), continue to trip me up every so often. I've been learning English for a number of years now, and I'm a little ashamed to say that, not very long ago, I realized that "color & cake" are actually variable nouns. It's quite frustrating, because it's not something like phrasal verbs that all English learners find difficult. Apparently, it's only me who is struggling with variable nouns! I guess I've been doing something wrong this whole time! 😓

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Ooh, that's a difficult one. I believe this is a topic that all English learners struggle with, not just you! The difference between the count and noncount form of variable nouns is difficult for us to explain; it's just something that we feel as part of being a native speaker of the language. I'm afraid I don't have an easy answer except the following: in most of these cases, the noncount form will refer to what feels more like a singular meaning, whereas the count form will refer to multiple items, like this: What skills do you bring to the job? I am bilingual, I know how to code, and I ... (more than 1 skill) This task requires a lot of skill. (you have to be able to do it well) Cake, like many other food nouns, can refer to the type of food (I love cake) or individual items, like "I baked 2 cakes for my son's birthday.) I can do a video on this topic in the future. Thanks!

[@allatkhay9866]

Some rules of semicolons using are new for me. Thank you so much, Professor Francisco.❤️

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Wonderful! I'm glad you learned something new from my video, Alla. Happy New Year!

[@allatkhay9866]

@@LearnAcademicEnglish Happy New Year😍❤️

[@IBRAHIM_ORTON]

Hello mam how are you , how was your vocation , I hope you had a great time with your family , so what have you been up to? My best wishes is always with u , and such a nice contain you are making for students on KZbin ,at least there is some one who thinks about sharing contains of English grammar without taking care of likes and views , that makes you a good teacher who thinks about giving information .. Best wishes with you

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Thank you, Ibrahim.

[@rodtheteacher_]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

Thanks, Rod!

[@zaphenath73]

Hi, I am still confused on rule #3 on series of having commas in the sentence, and must include a semicolon in the same sentence. Could you elaborate more, please?

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

We use commas to separate items in a series like this: I love apricots, nectarines, and cherries. But if one of those items has commas inside it, it is different: I love apricots, nectarines, which are similar to peaches, and cherries. Now it is confusing, so we use semi-colons instead of commas to separate the items, like this: I love apricots; nectarines, which are similar to peaches; and cherries. TBH, this is not very common, but sometimes when we are writing for work or school (in more formal situations), it can happen.

[@zaphenath73]

@@LearnAcademicEnglish I love apricots; nectarines, which are similar to peaches; and cherries. I understand the first semi-colon, but the second one, I don't.

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

the first and second semi-colon have the same purpose in this case. Their purpose is to separate all parts of the series (the items apricots, nectarins, and cherries.

[@yousufguled7563]

Hi Teacher thank you for the effort you put on us. Can I use --,however, ---

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

If there is a clause (with subject and verb) after however, then you cannot use a comma before however. You can use ; however, or . However,

[@yousufguled7563]

Thank you very much Teacher

[@romanthedog6861]

I don’t know the meaning of the semicolons in the sentence like this, “ Some aspects of the physical world are unchanging : gravitation is universal; the propagation of light doesn’t change overnight; and that is why we don’t have to learn how to grow ears, eyes…” I would love to know what these semicolons mean.

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

This would be an example of using semicolons to combine parts of a sentence when they are quite long and/or have commas inside them. If you look at the last part of the sentence "that is why...," you'll notice that that part of the sentence has commas inside it. For that reason, we often use semicolons to separate the series to avoid overusing commas.

[@romanthedog6861]

@@LearnAcademicEnglish I understand now. I’m grateful for your perfect explanation. Thank you very much always for your help.😊

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

@@romanthedog6861 Sometimes it can be helpful to change the semicolons to commas and then see what happens. That can allow you to see how having all commas can sometimes lead to confusion, especially when there is a series of three nouns or three phrases or three clauses like in this example sentence

[@romanthedog6861]

@@LearnAcademicEnglish I would like to express my gratitude again.

[@LearnAcademicEnglish]

My pleasure.