CONTENTS FEATURE: A semicolon is not an anatomical structure; it's a narrow bridge GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn up to $500 FEATURE: A semicolon is not an anatomical structure; it's a figurative narrow bridge      In the traffic infrastructure of sentence construction, a period is a red light; a comma is a speed bump; parentheses signal a temporary detour; and a semicolon is a narrow bridge.      Although a semicolon (;) resembles a colon that has picked up a hitchhiking comma, its function is less related to those punctuation marks than it is to that of a period. A semicolon is intended to alert readers to slow down and pay attention, because it's about to connect two related but distinct thoughts. Since em-dashes, parentheses and commas also can serve that function, confusion may arise about when semicolons are warranted or when other punctuation marks may be required.      EditPros News reader Dave W. acknowledges uncertainty at times. He wrote, "I loved the EditPros discussion of the use of commas [March 2008 edition]. It has confirmed my own conclusion, reached over years of pounding keyboards, that superfluous punctuation is as bad as superfluous words. I still have a tendency to overdress my prose, but at least I am learning to clean up punctuation and use it to clarify points, as intended. Now if I could only get my head around semicolons."      The semicolon has two principal functions in the English language: (1) to separate the elements of a list or a series of phrases that have their own internal commas, and (2) to separate yet equitably link two independent clauses that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction. That sounds complicated, but examples can illustrate that it's really not. So strap yourself into the driver's seat, and remember to ease up on the accelerator for commas, and brake gently for semicolons. Item separator      Larry, the office prankster, fulfilled his promise to send his co-workers postcards from exotic locales that he visited during his summer vacation. By summer's end, he had mailed cards from seven American cities and towns: Moscow, Idaho Rome, New York Paris, Texas Pompeii, Michigan Waterloo, Iowa Dublin, California Panama City, Florida.      To present this series of towns and states in running text, additional punctuation will be necessary because commas already are being used to separate the names of cities from their respective states. Writing Moscow, Idaho, Rome, New York, Paris, Texas, Pompeii, Michigan would be confusing. To improve clarity, put semicolons to work, as shown here: By summer's end, he had mailed cards from seven American cities and towns: Moscow, Idaho; Rome, New York; Paris, Texas, Pompeii, Michigan; Waterloo, Iowa; Dublin, California; and Panama City, Florida.      A semicolon likewise should be used to separate clauses or phrases that contain internal commas. Here's an example. The company's management team consists of Sharon Wood, president and chief executive officer, whose experience includes co-founding a supply chain management software company, coordinating a management buy-out, and completing initial public offerings for two companies; Rick Weller, vice president of operations, whose expertise includes client services, systems implementation and project management; and Pat Richardson, chief technical officer, who has more than two decades of experience in hardware engineering, product development and project management. Clause separator      A coordinating conjunction can be used to link independent, closely related clauses within a single sentence. Here's an example: the armoire is made of oak, but the nightstands have a mahogany finish. The independent clauses in that sentence are the armoire is made of oak and the nightstands have a mahogany finish. They could each stand as a separate sentences: The armoire is made of oak. The nightstands have a mahogany finish. The idea, however, is to show that the sentences are related to one another. Both discuss furniture finishes. The word but is the coordinating conjunction that links the two clauses by drawing contrast between the finishes of the armoire and the nightstands.      The relationship between the two clauses also can be drawn without a coordinating conjunction. A semicolon can be used instead. The armoire is made of oak; the nightstands have a mahogany finish.      In addition to highlighting the contrast between two statements, a semicolon is ideal for signaling that one statement is a consequence of another. Here's an example: Willard ignored my warning about the wet paint in the staircase; he got a big surprise when he grabbed the handrail.      Notice that the clause that follows the semicolon does not begin with a capital letter; that's because the two statements are being used to form a single cohesive sentence.      A conjunction can be used after a semicolon, as in: Willard ignored my warning about the wet paint in the staircase; so he got a big surprise when he grabbed the handrail.      Failure to use a semicolon where one is required can result in a run-on sentence, such as this one displayed on a Web site: Your session may have expired because of an unexpected system error. It may have also been expired as the result of a security measure, after 30 minutes of no activity, your session automatically expires. The second sentence consists of two independent clauses that need to be divided into two separate sentences, or separated with a conjunction or a semicolon (rather than a comma). The error in the example is called a "comma splice." Here's a corrected version: It also may have been terminated as the result of a security measure; after 30 minutes of no activity, your session automatically expires.      The appearance of a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, moreover, consequently, furthermore) in the middle of a statement is a big clue that you're looking at a sentence in need of a semicolon. Here's an example: Ralph didn't complete the roof repairs on time, consequently, the rain damaged the living room ceiling. That sentence consists of two independent clauses that need to be separated either by a conjunction (Ralph didn't complete the roof repairs on time, AND therefore the rain damaged the living room ceiling) or by insertion of a semicolon preceding the conjunctive adverb (Ralph didn't complete the roof repairs on time; consequently, the rain damaged the living room ceiling).      While we're on the subject of semicolons, we should mention a couple of other points:      Make sure that the segment that follows a semicolon is a complete statement rather than a sentence fragment. Wrong: Ellen interviewed all five job applicants today; in order to make a decision by noon tomorrow. Right: Ellen interviewed all five job applicants today; she did so in order to make a decision by noon tomorrow. Right: Ellen interviewed all five job applicants today, in order to make a decision by noon tomorrow.      If the portion of a statement preceding a semicolon is a quotation, place the semicolon after the closing quotation mark. Wrong: Frank the reveler said, "I'm in the mood for a nightcap;" Ed misunderstood and gave him a hat. Right: Frank the reveler said, "I'm in the mood for a nightcap"; Ed misunderstood and gave him a hat.      That's all we have to say about semicolons for now; we hope you found this discussion at least semi-helpful. GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions 1. Michelle S. wrote:      "In my line of work, I frequently see the phrase 'both national and international.' Isn't this redundant, since 'international' also would encompass the national aspect? Please enlighten me!" The grammar coach replies:      The adjective "national" is used to describe something that belongs to or relates to an individual nation.      The adjective "international" can have any of several meanings: 1. of, relating to, or involving two or more nations" (as in "international trade"); 2. relating to or constituting a group or association that has members in two or more nations (as in "international organization"); 3. active, known or reaching beyond national boundaries (as in "international marketing").      Michelle, we agree with you that the phrase "both national and international" is redundant. It's analogous to saying that Levi's jeans are popular in both San Francisco and California. Since San Francisco is within California, mention of San Francisco in that context is superfluous.      Likewise, mention of national recognition is superfluous in describing a person who is internationally renowned.      You might want to note that the Columbia Guide to Standard American English discourages use of the word "international" as a euphemism for "foreign" (as in "the international community in Washington was much upset over the new restrictions"). 2. Rajan S. wrote:      "1) 'He seems to be happy.' In first sentence, the person is happy. 2) 'He is under pressure to be slim.' But in the second [sentence, the] person is still fat. How [does] the meaning of 'to be' change in [those two sentences]?" The grammar coach replies:      Infinitives -- usually composed of the word "to" with the present-tense stem of a verb (such as "to be") -- can serve different functions in sentences. Although infinitives or infinitive phrases often function as nouns, they also can be used as adjectives or adverbs.      Rajan, your contention is that the first statement ("he seems TO BE happy") conveys the present-tense notion that the person IS happy, while the second statement ("he is under pressure TO BE slim") suggests that the person IS NOT slim. The second sentence is vague, however, and its meaning is subject to interpretation. Infinitive phrases can make sentences static and wooden; replacing them with an active verb can improve clarity.      Let's examine each of the sentences carefully.      The verb "seem" has a few shades of meaning. It conveys the notion of creating a perception or impression that may or may not be accurate (for example, "you seem upset today" or "the building seems safe, but the factory workers are skeptical"). The word "seem" also can refer to something that appears to be true, probable or evident (as in, "it seems you doubt the safety of the building"). In addition, "seem" can suggest that perceptions or appearances may be contrary to reality ("he always seemed like a well-adjusted young man before this happened"). It also forms part of an idiomatic expression ("can't seem to") that is used to indicate difficulty ("Bill can't seem to make the video conference link work properly").      You can rectify your first sentence easily. The infinitive "to be" is unnecessary in that sentence. Delete it, and the result is a lean, clear statement: "he seems happy." The understood meaning is "I perceive him as a happy person."      The second sentence does not necessarily imply that the person is heavy and needs to become slim; it also could refer to a person who already is slim and is under pressure to remain that way. Choice of a different infinitive can help. - If the intention is to describe someone who needs to lose weight (future action), consider writing "he is under pressure TO BECOME slim." - If the intention is to describe someone who already is slim and needs to stay that way (present condition), consider writing "he is under pressure TO REMAIN slim."      Those two sentences are composed using passive voice. Although they indicate that the person is under pressure, they don't reveal who is initiating that pressure. If you identify the source of the pressure, you can enliven the sentences by eliminating use of the infinitive and switching to active verbs. Consider these revisions: • Julia said that he should lose weight. • Julia said that he should avoid gaining weight.      Are you perplexed by some aspect of grammar or word usage? Don't be shy! Ask the "grammar coach" at EditPros and we'll try to help—at no charge, just for the sport of it. 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