GCSE English

Semicolons & Meaning

ab: pencil

Here are the previous examples, but with semicolons used to replace first a comma then a full stop.

  1. It was a long way to the city; five miles in total. The panda was not going to make it alone.
    Here, the longer pause indicated by the semicolon adds a sense of desperation to the distance.
  2. Victoria wondered whether she would reach the church on time; it was raining. She had forgotten her umbrella.
    This takes on a different meaning: it is the rain that is causing her to worry about being late. The lack of umbrealla has nothing to do with it.

No doubt you did something similar? By now you should have a good idea about what semicolons are and how they can be used to enhance your writing.


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