Semicolons

How They Are Used

There are two main ways that a semicolon might be used on the SAT:

To separate items in a list.
To separate two complete sentences

We'll explain each in more detail below.

Separating Items in a List

This is the less common of the two uses for a semicolon, but it's the usage you should check for first, simply because it's easier to check for. It's also the less common of the two ways to separate list items. As you probably know, the way we most often separate items in a list is with commas. So why would you use a semicolon instead?

Typically, you would use a semicolon to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas. For example, "I traveled to Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; and New York, NY." Because each of these cities has a comma in its name, it would be more confusing to use commas to separate them - we'd have to decipher which commas represent separation of the cities from each other, and which commas represent the comma in the name of the city. A semicolon makes it clear that the cities are separate items in a list, and the commas in the names are just part of the name of the city.

How to check if a semicolon is separating items in a list

Look for a second semicolon

When we have a list, there are at least three items in the list. So if the semicolon is separating items in a list, there will be at least one other semicolon in the sentence. So you should start off by looking to see if there is another semicolon in the sentence. The additional semicolon(s) might be found in the passage, or there might be a second semicolon in the answer choice. If you do notice that there is at least one additional semicolon, then chances are they are being used to separate list items and that this is the correct answer choice. But to be sure, read the sentence under that context and see if it makes sense as a list. You should also double check that there isn't another answer choice with a semicolon that might be separating the list items. If there is, you'll have to determine which one separates them in the appropriate way.

If there are multiple answer choices with semicolons

If you find that there are multiple answer choices that seem like they could be separating list items with semicolons, you'll need to determine which one does the best job of separating the items correctly. Here you'll want to keep in mind that list items should parallel each other in terms of structure. So pick the one that separates the items in a way in which the items each are similar in the way they are structured.

Let's look at an example below:

Breaking Down the Above Example

In the above example, we notice that there are multiple answer choices with semicolons, and that there is another semicolon in the passage. So it seems like A-C could all potentially be separating list items with semicolons. We'll want to pick the answer choice where all the list items parallel each other in terms of structure. If we look to the semicolon in the passage, which can't be changed, we see that right before the semicolon it says ", in 2010;" And then, at the end of the last list item we see ", in 2015." So for the first list item to parallel the others in terms of structure, it makes sense to choose the one with ", in 2009" right before the semicolon. C is the only one that does this, and is thus the right answer.

Separating Two Complete Sentences

The other (and more common) use of a semicolon is to separate two complete sentences that are closely related. For example, "I love studying; it helps me grow." It would be fine to use a period instead of a semicolon here, but the semicolon is perhaps more appropriate because it suggests that the two sentences are closely related, which they are. The SAT will never test you on this level of nuance though; you'll never have to decide if a semicolon or a period is a better fit. For the purposes of the SAT, as long as a semicolon isn't being used as a list separator, it is interchangeable with a period.

Check for redundant answer choices

If you have determined that the semicolon is not being used to separate list items, then for the answer to be correct, it must be separating two complete sentences. When it's being used in this way, the semicolon is interchangeable with a period, or with a comma followed by a FANBOYS conjunction. So if we see another answer choice that is identical but using a period instead of a semicolon, then those answer choices are equivalent. They can't both be right, so they must both be wrong and we can eliminate them. Similarly, if we see another answer choice that is identical but using a comma followed by a FANBOYS conjunction instead of a semicolon (refer back to the Complete Sentences section for more information on FANBOYS), then those answer choices are also equivalent and can both be eliminated.

For example, all of the below sentences are equivalent for the purposes of the SAT:

I love studying; it helps me grow.
I love studying. It helps me grow.
I love studying, and it helps me grow.

Finally, check if it separates two complete sentences

If you performed the steps above and still haven't eliminated it, then it's time to actually check if it separates two complete sentences. First, look to the sentence ending with the semicolon, and determine if it's a complete sentence. If it's not, then the answer is wrong and we can eliminate it. If it is a complete sentence, then we need to check if the sentence after the semicolon is also a complete sentence. If it is, then we've probably found our answer. If it's not, then we can eliminate it.

One more thing to check

If you already read the page on periods, then you might know where I'm going with this. Even if we've determined that the semicolon does separate two complete sentences, the answer choice could still be wrong if it misuses a transition word or phrase. So you should check if there is a transition word/phrase right after the colon or right before the colon. If there is, you need to make sure the transition word/phrase is used in a way that makes sense. We elaborated more on this on the Periods page, so refer back to that for more information.

Next: Colons