How to Use a Semicolon Before & After Conjunctive Adverbs

An adverb is a word that modifies another part of speech, especially verbs and adjectives. Conjunctive adverbs join two independent clauses and show relationships such as sequence or cause and effect. "However," "so" and "instead" are examples of conjunctive adverbs. The steps here outline how to use punctuation with this part of speech.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. A true conjunction--such as "and," "but" or "or"--joins one or more independent clauses. An independent clause is a group of words that could stand alone as a sentence. For example, "My dog is a terror," and, "She tore up my couch," could be individual sentences. However, you can combine these independent clauses to form a compound sentence. To do so, join the clauses with a comma and a conjunctive. So, you could write, "My dog is a terror, and she tore up my couch!" However, conjuctive adverbs are not true conjunctions; therefore, they have their own rules of punctuation.

2. A conjunctive adverb is not strong enough to join independent clauses with a comma. Instead, they require the use of a semicolon. Use a semicolon to end the first independent clause. The conjunctive adverb will follow the semicolon, and it should not be capitalized.

3. The conjunctive adverb should be thought of as an introductory phrase to the second independent clause; therefore, place a comma after the conjunctive adverb. The previous sentence models the proper use of punctuation with a conjunctive adverb ("therefore"). As another example, let's contruct a sentence showing a contrasting relationship. Imagine that Tyler and Kayla have differing tastes in music: Tyler likes rock, and Kayla enjoys country. Join these ideas with the conjunctive adverb "however." The sentence is written as follows: "Tyler likes rock; however, Kayla enjoys country."

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