AMA Writing Style
SEMICOLONS
What are semicolons?

A semicolon ( ; ) marks a bigger pause or break between parts of a sentence.

A semicolon is used when two sentences link together in situations which do not use a comma
and F A N B O Y S (for, and, nor, but, or, and so).
o Correct: The concert was over, so the crowd went home.
o

Correct: The concert was over; the crowd went home.
Semicolons are more powerful than a comma, but not as strong as a period.
How are semicolons used?


Semicolons are used to link two complete sentences that are not connected by F A N B O Y S.
o
Correct: I am walking to the lake; I expect to be there all day.
o
Correct: I had to make several phone calls; the rain spoiled our plans
Semicolons can be used to introduce two sentences that are connected by F A N B O Y S.
o Correct: These programs have money, support, and sufficient staff. They do not have
endless amounts of resources.
Correct: These programs have money, support, and sufficient staff; but, they do not have
endless amounts of resources.
Semicolons can be used in a list or series that already contains commas.
o

o
Correct: I have lived in Austin, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; and Phoenix, Arizona.
o
Correct: The individuals who presented were John Doe, director of Omaha Inc.; Jane Doe,
president of Alpha Corporation; and Joe Doe, CEO of Beta Inc.

Semicolons can be used to signify transitional words or phrases (that is, for example, namely).
Correct: The journal understands Mr. Bumble’s position on the issue; that is, highway
safety is at the forefront of our concerns.
Semicolons can be used before conjunctive adverbs (therefore, moreover, consequentially,
furthermore, indeed, in fact, and however)
o

o
Correct: The test scores are not updated; therefore, I cannot tell you about your scores.
o
Correct: I was not feeling well on Saturday; however, I ended up having a good time with
my family.
A rule to follow when using semicolons:

Semicolons ( ; ) always appear outside of closing quotation marks ( ” )
o
Correct: The mailman said, “Your dog needs to wear a leash”; the child responded, “Ok.”
o
Correct: Vincent often stated, “The early bird gets the worm” ; however, Vincent never
was an early riser.
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AMA Writing Style
References
Alred GJ, Brusaw CT, Oliu WE. Handbook of Technical Writing. New York: St. Martin’s Press; 2007.
St. Kate’s Library Guide. Citing Sources using AMA Citation Style. St. Catherine University.
http://libguides.stkate.edu/. Published April 2011. Accessed September 17, 2012.
Health Sciences Library. AMA Style Guide. University of Washington.
http://libguides.hsl.washington.edu/ama. Published December 12, 2011. Accessed September 17, 2012.
Driscoll D, Brizee A. Commas: Quick Rules. Purdue Online Writing Lab. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/.
Published April 2011. Accessed September 17, 2012.
Sousa M, Driscoll DL. Brief Overview of Punctuation. Purdue Online Writing Lab.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/. Published April 2011. Accessed September 17, 2012.
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