Which sentence uses a semicolon correctly?
• The stadium is located next to the school; it does not take long to walk there.
• Before we go to softball practice; we have to finish our homework.
• We moved practice to the gym; after it started raining.
• I need to bring the following things; my gym bag, my backpack, and your helmet.
The sentence that uses a semicolon correctly is: We moved practice to the gym; after it started raining.
The correct sentence that uses a semicolon correctly is:
"The stadium is located next to the school; it does not take long to walk there."
To determine the correct usage of a semicolon, we need to understand its purpose. A semicolon (;) is used to connect two independent clauses (complete thoughts) that are closely related or to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas.
Let's analyze each sentence to see if it meets these criteria:
1. "The stadium is located next to the school; it does not take long to walk there."
This sentence uses a semicolon correctly because it connects two independent clauses: "The stadium is located next to the school" and "it does not take long to walk there."
2. "Before we go to softball practice; we have to finish our homework."
This sentence does not use a semicolon correctly. It separates a dependent clause "Before we go to softball practice" with an independent clause "we have to finish our homework." To correct this, we can use a comma instead of a semicolon or use a period to create two separate sentences: "Before we go to softball practice, we have to finish our homework."
3. "We moved practice to the gym; after it started raining."
This sentence does not use a semicolon correctly. It separates a dependent clause "after it started raining" with an independent clause "We moved practice to the gym." To correct this, we can use a comma instead of a semicolon or use a period to create two separate sentences: "We moved practice to the gym after it started raining."
4. "I need to bring the following things; my gym bag, my backpack, and your helmet."
This sentence does not use a semicolon correctly. It separates items in a list with semicolons, but the items themselves do not contain commas. To correct this, we can replace the semicolons with commas: "I need to bring the following things: my gym bag, my backpack, and your helmet."
In conclusion, the first sentence "The stadium is located next to the school; it does not take long to walk there." uses a semicolon correctly as it connects two independent clauses.
The sentence that uses a semicolon correctly is:
• The stadium is located next to the school; it does not take long to walk there.
A semicolon is used to separate two closely related independent clauses, which are complete sentences that can stand alone. In this sentence, "The stadium is located next to the school" and "it does not take long to walk there" are two independent clauses that are closely related.