Choose the sentence that correctly uses a semicolon to join two independent clauses.

• A. The rain stopped; we continued our hike.
• B. The rain stopped, we continued our hike.
• C. The rain stopped and we continued our hike.
• D. The rain stopped because we continued our hike.

Answer: (A)

A semicolon joins two independent clauses that have a close connection. Each part could stand alone as a sentence, but using the semicolon shows that the ideas are linked more tightly than a period would. The rain stopped; we continued our hike. Here, both clauses have their own subject and verb, and the semicolon signals that the two actions happen in sequence and relate to each other without inserting a conjunction.

The other sentences don’t use a semicolon to join two independent clauses. Using just a comma between two complete sentences creates a comma splice, which is generally incorrect in formal writing. Connecting the clauses with and but leaving out the comma before and isn’t the standard way to form that kind of compound sentence, so it’s not properly punctuated. Using because changes the second clause into a dependent one, so it’s no longer two independent clauses joined at all.