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Grammar

Semicolons — How to Use Them Effectively

Discover best practices for using semicolons correctly in your writing. Plus, get examples of how they can join independent and separate clauses or items in a sentence.

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Introduction

Our text compare tool is a fantastic, lightweight tool that provides plagiarism checks between two documents. Whether you are a student, blogger or publisher, this tool offers a great solution to detect and compare similarities between any two pieces of text. In this article, I will discuss the different ways to use the tool, the primary features of the tool and who this tool is for. There is an FAQ at the bottom if you run into any issues when trying to use the tool.

What makes Originality.ai’s text comparison tool stand out?

Keyword density helper – This tool comes with a built-in keyword density helper in some ways similar to the likes of SurferSEO or MarketMuse the difference being, ours is free! This feature shows the user the frequency of single or two word keywords in a document, meaning you can easily compare an article you have written against a competitor to see the major differences in keyword densities. This is especially useful for SEO’s who are looking to optimize their blog content for search engines and improve the blog’s visibility.

Ways to compare

File compare – Text comparison between files is a breeze with our tool. Simply select the files you would like to compare, hit “Upload” and our tool will automatically insert the content into the text area, then simply hit “Compare” and let our tool show you where the differences in the text are. By uploading a file, you can still check the keyword density in your content.

URL compare

Comparing text between URLs is effortless with our tool. Simply paste the URL you would like to get the content from (in our example we use a fantastic blog post by Sherice Jacob found here) hit “Submit URL” and our tool will automatically retrieve the contents of the page and paste it into the text area, then simply click “Compare” and let our tool highlight the difference between the URLs. This feature is especially useful for checking keyword density between pages!

Simple text compare

You can also easily compare text by copying and pasting it into each field, as demonstrated below.

Features of Originality.ai’s Text Compare Tool

Ease of use

Our text compare tool is created with the user in mind, it is designed to be accessible to everyone. Our tool allows users to upload files or enter a URL to extract text, this along with the lightweight design ensures a seamless experience. The interface is simple and straightforward, making it easy for users to compare text and detect the diff.

Multiple text file format support

Our tool provides support for a variety of different text files and microsoft word formats including pdf file, .docx, .odt, .doc, and .txt, giving users the ability to compare text from different sources with ease. This makes it a great solution for students, bloggers, and publishers who are looking for file comparison in different formats.

Protects intellectual property

Our text comparison tool helps you protect your intellectual property and helps prevent plagiarism. This tool provides an accurate comparison of texts, making it easy to ensure that your work is original and not copied from other sources. Our tool is a valuable resource for anyone looking to maintain the originality of their content.

User Data Privacy

Our text compare tool is secure and protects user data privacy. No data is ever saved to the tool, the users’ text is only scanned and pasted into the tool’s text area. This makes certain that users can use our tool with confidence, knowing their data is safe and secure.

Compatibility

Our text comparison tool is designed to work seamlessly across all size devices, ensuring maximum compatibility no matter your screen size. Whether you are using a large desktop monitor, a small laptop, a tablet or a smartphone, this tool adjusts to your screen size. This means that users can compare texts and detect the diff anywhere without the need for specialized hardware or software. This level of accessibility makes it an ideal solution for students or bloggers who value the originality of their work and need to compare text online anywhere at any time.

Semicolons (;) are punctuation marks used in English to separate independent clauses or series in a sentence. 

However, because semicolons can do the jobs of other punctuation marks such as commas, colons, or periods, semicolons are often misused. 

Let’s dive into the rules for using semicolons, so you can begin employing them confidently in your writing.

Are you unsure if you’ve used semicolons correctly? Use the Originality.ai Grammar Checker to review your content for spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes.

Why Should You Use Semicolons?

If semicolons are such a common source of error, why use them? The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill notes that two common reasons for using semicolons are for style and to highlight the relationship or connection between two sentences. 

A semicolon can be used to join two short sentences and prevent the choppy or abrupt feel of many single-clause sentences in a row. 

In other cases, a semicolon can be used to join two clauses to illustrate a relationship between them, such as cause and effect, contrast, sequencing, or comparison.

Semicolons Join Independent Clauses

Another way to use semicolons is to join two independent clauses that are closely related without a coordinating conjunction. What does this mean in plain language?

  • An independent clause is a complete sentence. 
  • Without a semicolon or conjunction such as ‘and’ or ‘but,’ these two clauses would create a run-on sentence. 
  • Alternatively, each independent clause can also be written as its own sentence.

Examples of semicolons joining independent clauses

First, let’s look at two closely related sentences:

“She loves reading mystery novels. Her brother prefers science fiction.” 

In this example, the topics of the sentences are closely related to one another, because both discuss the siblings’ favorite book genres. 

These two independent clauses can be joined to create one sentence by using a semicolon. 

These sentences can be combined into one phrase and rewritten like this:

“She loves reading mystery novels; her brother prefers science fiction.”

Next, let’s review a sentence with a coordinating conjunction such as ‘and’ where the two clauses are complete sentences. 

“The bakery specializes in pastries and my favorite is the pain au chocolat.” 

The conjunction here can be replaced with a semicolon because both halves of the original sentence are independent clauses. 

The new version of this sentence reads as:

“The bakery specializes in pastries; my favorite is the pain au chocolat.” 

However, the semicolon cannot be used to replace all coordinating conjunctions. 

If the second clause is dependent on the first, the semicolon cannot be used to separate them. 

“She loved to read, but didn’t have much free time.” 

In this sentence, the clause “but didn’t have much free time” lacks a subject. This means the subject of the first clause, “she,” also acts as the subject of the second. A semicolon placed between them would cause a grammatical error in the sentence, forming a sentence fragment. 

How to correctly add a subject to the second clause:

  • Incorrect: She loved to read; but didn’t have much free time.
  • Correct: She loved to read; she rarely had much free time.

Semicolons Join Independent Clauses with Conjunctive Adverbs

As noted by Purdue University, semicolons can also be used between two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb such as ‘however’ or ‘therefore.’

A conjunctive adverb shows a relationship between two independent clauses such as cause and effect or contrasting ideas. 

When using a conjunctive adverb, include the semicolon before the adverb and a comma immediately after.

Examples of semicolons joining independent clauses with conjunctive adverbs

Consider two closely related sentences and how they can be combined with a conjunctive adverb:

“The meeting was supposed to start at 10 am. Unfortunately, it was delayed by an hour.” 

In this example, the subject of the second sentence, ‘it,’ relies on the first sentence for context. In this case, a semicolon can be useful to create a more cohesive structure. 

The new sentence would read as follows:

“The meeting was supposed to start at 10 am; unfortunately, it was delayed by an hour.”

In this case, the conjunctive adverb is ‘unfortunately’ it is preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma.

Let’s look at a second example:

“I wanted to go for a run. The roads were icy.” 

Here, the speaker indicates their desire to go running but adds a contrasting fact that prevents them from going. 

To illustrate the effect the weather had on the speaker’s plans, with a semicolon and the conjunctive adverb ‘however,’ the sentences could be joined as shown

“I wanted to go for a run; however, the roads were icy.”

Semicolons May Separate Items in a Series

In a series with internal punctuation or long groupings, use semicolons instead of commas to separate the items in a list. Using semicolons helps the reader to easily identify the separate items. 

Examples of semicolons separating items in a series

Where there is a group of items, semicolons can separate the concepts or ideas, effectively grouping them together:

“The activist discussed the impact of climate change on coastal cities; the necessity of renewable energy for future generations; and the role of governments in enforcing environmental regulations.”

In a series with internal commas, semicolons separate the different items, while commas are used within some or all items: 

“The project requires collaboration between the marketing team, which handles promotions; the IT team, which manages the website; and the sales team, which deals with customers.”

Style guides may suggest alternative approaches for consistent formatting

Keep in mind that company style guides may prefer a particular approach to semicolon use.

For instance, taking the previous example, some style guides may rather this sentence written solely with commas such as:

“The project requires collaboration between the marketing team, which handles promotions, the IT team, which manages the website, and the sales team, which deals with customers.”

Alternatively, a style guide may recommend breaking down a longer sentence like this into a short bullet-point list, for example:

“The project requires collaboration across multiple teams:

  • Marketing, which handles promotions
  • IT, which manages the website
  • Sales, which deals with customers.”

So, the key takeaway? It’s best practice to review your style guide and use that as a reference when formatting a particular piece of content.

Final Thoughts

Although semicolons are a tricky aspect of punctuation, establishing a clear understanding of them can elevate your writing and help you to communicate clearly with your audience.

To review the punctuation in your content, use the Originality.ai Grammar Checker.

Then, check out Originaltiy.ai’s full suite of best-in-class tools including an AI Checker, Plagiarism Checker, and Readability Checker.

For more grammar, spelling, and punctuation tips check out our top guides:

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it important to check for plagiarism?

Tools for conducting a plagiarism check between two documents online are important as it helps to ensure the originality and authenticity of written work. Plagiarism undermines the value of professional and educational institutions, as well as the integrity of the authors who write articles. By checking for plagiarism, you can ensure the work that you produce is original or properly attributed to the original author. This helps prevent the distribution of copied and misrepresented information.

What is Text Comparison?

Text comparison is the process of taking two or more pieces of text and comparing them to see if there are any similarities, differences and/or plagiarism. The objective of a text comparison is to see if one of the texts has been copied or paraphrased from another text. This text compare tool for plagiarism check between two documents has been built to help you streamline that process by finding the discrepancies with ease.

How do Text Comparison Tools Work?

Text comparison tools work by analyzing and comparing the contents of two or more text documents to find similarities and differences between them. This is typically done by breaking the texts down into smaller units such as sentences or phrases, and then calculating a similarity score based on the number of identical or nearly identical units. The comparison may be based on the exact wording of the text, or it may take into account synonyms and other variations in language. The results of the comparison are usually presented in the form of a report or visual representation, highlighting the similarities and differences between the texts.

String comparison is a fundamental operation in text comparison tools that involves comparing two sequences of characters to determine if they are identical or not. This comparison can be done at the character level or at a higher level, such as the word or sentence level.

The most basic form of string comparison is the equality test, where the two strings are compared character by character and a Boolean result indicating whether they are equal or not is returned. More sophisticated string comparison algorithms use heuristics and statistical models to determine the similarity between two strings, even if they are not exactly the same. These algorithms often use techniques such as edit distance, which measures the minimum number of operations (such as insertions, deletions, and substitutions) required to transform one string into another.

Another common technique for string comparison is n-gram analysis, where the strings are divided into overlapping sequences of characters (n-grams) and the frequency of each n-gram is compared between the two strings. This allows for a more nuanced comparison that takes into account partial similarities, rather than just exact matches.

String comparison is a crucial component of text comparison tools, as it forms the basis for determining the similarities and differences between texts. The results of the string comparison can then be used to generate a report or visual representation of the similarities and differences between the texts.

What is Syntax Highlighting?

Syntax highlighting is a feature of text editors and integrated development environments (IDEs) that helps to visually distinguish different elements of a code or markup language. It does this by coloring different elements of the code, such as keywords, variables, functions, and operators, based on a predefined set of rules.

The purpose of syntax highlighting is to make the code easier to read and understand, by drawing attention to the different elements and their structure. For example, keywords may be colored in a different hue to emphasize their importance, while comments or strings may be colored differently to distinguish them from the code itself. This helps to make the code more readable, reducing the cognitive load of the reader and making it easier to identify potential syntax errors.

How Can I Conduct a Plagiarism Check between Two Documents Online?

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What Are the Benefits of Using a Text Compare Tool?

Using text comparison tools is much easier, more efficient, and more reliable than proofreading a piece of text by hand. Eliminate the risk of human error by using a tool to detect and display the text difference within seconds.

What Files Can You Inspect with This Text Compare Tool?

We have support for the file extensions .pdf, .docx, .odt, .doc and .txt. You can also enter your text or copy and paste text to compare.

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There is never any data saved by the tool, when you hit “Upload” we are just scanning the text and pasting it into our text area so with our text compare tool, no data ever enters our servers.

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