セミコロンは、フルストップとコンマの間のようなものです。英語では、セミコロンは接続詞を使わずにテーマ別に繋がった句と文章を接続します(下記の例1).。セミコロンは、リストでアイテムがすでにコンマを含んでいる時、それらのアイテムを区別するためにも使われます (下記例2)。
例
- I like your brother; he's a good friend.
- Many great leaders, Churchill, leader of Britain during the Second World War; Alexander, the great Emperor and general; and Napolean, the brilliant French general, had strong characters, which were useful when their countries were at war but which did not serve them well in times of peace.