Semicolon (;)

Semicolon (;) is a punctuation mark indicating a pause, typically between two main clauses. It is used

[1] to link two independent clauses instead of conjunctions

• Watching basketball is fun , but playing it is better.
  → Watching basketball is fun; playing it is better.
• He is a teacher, and his brother is a mechanic.
  → He is a teacher; his brother is a mechanic.  

[2] with conjunctive adverb
Use a semicolon between two independent clauses that are connected by conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases. 

• He didn't review the lessons; however, he could do the test. 
• There was heavy rain yesterday; hence, the road is flooded.

[3] between items in a list (if any of the items contain commas)

• The interview candidates will meet with Vera Canseco, director of marketing; Dennis Liu, vice president of operations; and Chris Snow, vice president of sales.
• The choir traveled to Detroit, Michigan; Gary, Indiana; and Madison, Wisconsin.

Comma Usage

Comma is a punctuation mark ( , ) used to indicate a separation of ideas or of elements within a sentence. Comma is used in the following ways:

[1] separate items in a series
When we list three or more items, we separate them with commas.

• We have a dog, a cat, and a parrot.
• I bought some oranges, grapes, bananas, and mangoes.

[2] after introductory words or phrases

• Suddenly, the computer shut down.
• In the morning, I get up at 6.
• In my opinion, you should talk to your boss.
• Hearing the news, she was so excited.
• Although it was raining, he came to join our party.

[3] in compound sentences
A comma must precede the coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).

• We walked, and they drove. 
• He was tired, but he kept running.

A comma must follow the conjunctive adverb.

• He ran out of money; therefore, he had to work harder.
• They like our product; however, they complain about its high cost.

[4] setting off the modifying words or phrases

• Iphone 5, which is a high-end product, is sold to every part of the world.
• Many like Iphone 5, which is a high-end product. 
• Vutha, my new boss, goes to your gym. 

[5] separate parts of the address

• Danielle lives at 5 Foster Lane, Boston, MA 02130.
• The brothers stayed in Dayton, Ohio, before driving on to Nebraska.

[6] separate parts of the date

• My daughter was born on September 15, 1998.
• September 15, 1998, was a big day for our family.

Capitalization Rules

There are three common rules for using correct capital letters. We should capitalize the first letter of:

[1] the first word in every sentence

We capitalize the first letter of the first word in every sentence; for examples,

• Thida is a student.
• The boy is asleep.

We also capitalize the first letter of the first word in the direct quotation; for examples,

• He asked, "Where are you going?"
• She said, "We are proud of you."

[2] proper nouns

We capitalize the first letter of each word of the names of specific people, places, dates, and things. Look at the examples below.

• Names of specific people: Thida, Vutha, Kosal, Bill Clinton, etc.
• Names of specific places: Russian Market, Wat Phnom, Angkor Wat, Cambodia, etc.
• Names of specific dates/days: Monday, Tuesday, January, February, Khmer New Year, Independence Day, etc.
• Names of specific organizations, companies, and groups: Canadia Bank, Microsoft, Cambodia Angkor Airline, etc.
• Names of languages, nationalities, and religions: Cambodia, Khmer, English, England, Buddhism, etc.
• Names of  courses: Writing Skills, Introduction to Economics, etc.
• Names of  commercial products: Pepsi, Coca Cola, Nokia, Lumia, etc.

[3] important titles

When we write the title of a book, movie, television program, magazine, newspaper, article, story, song, paper, poem, and so on, we capitalize the first word and all important words. However, do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet), and prepositions (in, on, at, etc.). Look at the examples.

• The Tale of Two Cities (Novel)
• US Investors Cite Corruption as Major Issue (News headline) 
• Love the Way You Lie (Song)