>>83109697
Only English majors.
I can't even be bothered to look up how to use it.

>>83109697
you're supposed to use it to connect two related clauses, like
"john threw the ball; tim ate ice cream as he watched."
it's also used to separate items in lists that are longer than one or a small amount of words word.

>>83109697
Yes I do; it's easy.

>>83109697
I know how to use it; it's just that you get the same effect from a space or a comma.

>>83109697
too dumb; didn't take seriously

>>83109697
On the one hand there is this particular example of how to use semicolons; on the other hand there is the following summary of examples:
>This long sentence;
>That long sentence;
>Final sentence of the summary.

kanye is black; thoughbeit

>>83109705
>>83109706
>>83109709
Wrong. In your examples the second sentence after the semicolon is more like an elaboration, illustration or explanation better served by a colon. Semicolons emphasize contradictions, juxtapositions and the like.

>>83109747
too long; didn't read
tl;dr

>>83109747
By the way Google AI gives the following example:
>They couldn't make it to the summit and back before dark; therefore, they decided to camp for the night.

This means Google AI is wrong.

>>83109697
Treat it like you treat single commas and double commas in a code language. If you see yourself using too many commas maybe you need that semicolon guy there

>>83109697
The way you're meant to use it, is never to use it at all. Might only make sense for it to exist for programming and that's it

>>83109706
yeah i guess stylistically it just doesn't really fit normal writing; it does work for more technical or condensed writing though, I suppose.

>>83109697
I use it all the time; it's great when a clause wouldn't really work as its own sentence but no conjunctions feel right.

>>83109697
you use it to end a statement when writing code
for example:
int x;
x = 10;

>>83109697
All examples in this thread could have the semicolons replaced by either a comma or a period; not that surprising since the semicolon sign is made up of both.

>>83109697
You use semicolons in sentences where it wouldn't matter if either of the clauses occurred first, you could swap them and it would still retain the meaning of the sentence.
Meanwhile, commas are used as additives within sentences, denoting progression or details.

Comma:
>The whore went on the imageboard to get attention, as she always does.
Technically a semicolon CAN be used here, it's just that the comma works and reads better as a sentence.

Semicolon
>The imageboard is full of the dregs of society; whores visit the imageboard for attention.
A semicolon is more appropriate here because you could swap the latter part of the sentence with the former and it would still retain the same meaning.

>>83109939
you shouldn't use a comma to connect independent clauses though

>>83109697
UHHM it means I used to cut but now I choose to live because fucking Chad is just too good not to give up.

>>83109747
OP is a massive faggot; the ghostly white cumstains on his lips were telling.

>>83109697
You use a semicolon if you give half a shit.

>>83109774
>AI
>wrong
couldn't have seen it coming

>>83109697
When used to separate clauses is just a more obnoxious form of the normal comma, when used in long lists is for when you see how when you're naming a fuckton of things you need to take a long pause besides the normal pauses you do within things? is for that like: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12...(semicolon here to represent that long breath) 13, 14-

yknow, learning grammar with 4chan :D

>>83109697
bridges two clauses that would otherwise be connected by a coordinating conjunction or separated by a period.
so any instance "X, (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, etc.) Y" can be replaced by "X; Y"

>>83109697
Of course I do. Steins;Gate

>>83109774
>This means Google AI is wrong.
I don't know how to use a semicolon, but Google AI is often wrong in my experience, you're an idiot if you use it to get information instead of looking for a reliable source.

>>83109697
Using it to separate two independent clauses is subjective like that. It's up to the author to decide to use a comma + conjunction, a period, or a semi-colon. It's all interchangeable and there's no real hard and fast rule, which is why it confuses autists.

But there are a couple objectively good reasons for semi-colons to exist:
The first is to disambiguate a sentence that already uses several commas in both clauses.
>He likes doing things outdoors, like hiking, biking, and swimming; and when it rains, he plays indoor sports, such as basketball and racquetball.
The semi-colon helps make the structure a little clearer compared to nothing but commas.
Another use is for a list of items with commas like city and state names. This is probably the best use of the semi-colon:
>He visited New York, New York; Madison, Wisconsin; Big Sky, Montana.
which is much clearer than something like New York, New York, Madison, Wisconsin, Big Sky, Montana.
Or a list of lists:
>On our trip we went to France, where we saw the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa, and Notre Dame; Italy, where we saw the Coliseum and the Parthenon; and Spain, where we saw La Sagrada Familia.

That's everyone's grammar lesson for today. This WILL be on the test so make sure you study.

>>83109697
You need to suck it

>>83109697
i don't even think my language has this useless symbol

Most people use em dashes where they should be using semicolons and it pisses me off.