The Semicolon

Using the semicolon in the place of the comma is incorrect. The semicolon should be used only before a conjunction such as "however" where you are joining two sentences that are very similar in theme and structure. For example, examine this sentence:

Without doubt, I know that the policeman was very angry with both young men; however, police anger is not sufficient reason for mistreatment of those under arrest.

You can see that the semicolon precedes "however" and is used to "glue" the two sentences together. As a guide, consider this: the semicolon should only be used when it precedes "however" (such use is not the only one, but this is a convenient guideline).

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