Do I use a comma or semicolon in the example below?
For your convenience; changes are in red and I’ve also attached your prior comments.
2 Answers
Use a comma.
For your convenience, changes are in red and I’ve also attached your prior comments.
The use of semicolons in English is extremely rare. When a semicolon is used, it is typically between two main clauses to indicate a pause that is more pronounced than that indicated by a comma.
In this case, "For your convenience," is not a main clause so a semicolon would not be appropriate.
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2The easy way to tell if it's a "main clause" is to try replacing the comma/semicolon with a period to make two separate sentences. If each could stand alone as a sentence, the semicolon should be used instead of a comma. "For your convenience" has no verb, and therefore could not be a sentence. The second use of semicolons is to indicate a higher level of grouping: "red, green, and blue; circle, triangle, and square". May 2, 2019 at 15:38
For your convenience; changes are in red and I’ve also attached your prior comments.
edit:
For your convenience, I have put changes in red and attached your prior comments.
or:
I have put changes in red and attached your prior comments for your convenience.
It depends on where you wish to place an emphasis. The first is more interlocutor focused. [I would probably say: previous comments]
Generally, pre-positioned adverbial phrases take a comma.
when to use a semicoloninto Google and get several pages of information that would answer this question, like this one. I suggest that you look through our Contributor's Guide for more helpful information. Welcome aboard!