+508.+ The semi-colon is often used instead of the comma where a longer
pause is desired or we wish to indicate a greater break in the thought.
For example:
"The wind is chill;
But let it whistle as it will,
We'll keep our Christmas merry still."
+509.+ As a rule we separate by semi-colons those parts of the sentences
that are already punctuated by commas. For example:
After considerable delay, he came back to look for his friends; but,
though he looked diligently, he could not find them.
+510.+ The semi-colon is used to separate closely connected simple
sentences when the conjunction is omitted. The continual repetition of
the conjunction would become very tiresome and detract from the
forcefulness of our sentences. So instead of continually repeating the
conjunction we separate these simple sentences by semi-colons. For
example:
Through the industrial revolution, the face of the earth is making
over even as to its physical forms; political boundaries are wiped out
and moved about as if they were indeed only lines on a paper map;
population is hurriedly gathered into cities from the ends of the
earth; habits of living are altered with startling abruptness; the
search for the truths of nature is infinitely stimulated; and the
application of these truths to life is made not only practicable, but
commercially necessary.
+511.+ The semi-colon should be used after each item in a series of
specific statements. For example:
We quote you the following prices: Grade No. 1, $1.00; Grade No. 2,
$2.90; poorer grades not in demand.