Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
A semicolon can be replaced with a coma or a period in most cases and the phrasing/meaning would still be correct.
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If you have two independent clauses joined by a semi-colon - and that is the more accepted grammatical use for a semi-colon - then one cannot simply substitute the semi-colon with a comma.
An independent clause contains a subject and a verb. Substituting this grammatical division marker would result in a run-on sentence.
A period, on the other hand, can be justified if the author wishes to have a full stop at the end of a sentence; too, the choice between a period and a semi-colon is a stylistic choice.
Don