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Consider the following sentence:

"Walker was not only the trailblazer in the medical field; she was also a visionary who bravely challenged many of the social prejudices of her day. "

My question is that whether it is appropriate to use semi-colons here because the first clause doesn't seem to be an independent one since it doesn't convey a complete idea.

Max Williams
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Asad Raza
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    It should be a colon, not a semi-colon, since it expands on the first part of the sentence. – Max Williams Jan 08 '18 at 10:38
  • I agree with Max Williams: for the reason he has given, a colon would suit. – Charon Jan 08 '18 at 10:53
  • @MaxWilliams Not in the manner a colon would do. – Kris Jan 08 '18 at 12:13
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    @Kris Have some comments been deleted? The thread doesn't make sense. Even allowing for MW's non-corresponding it's. Or are those what you're referring to? – Edwin Ashworth Jan 08 '18 at 13:10
  • I think that 'not only' and 'also' allow the use of a comma here. I think that both semi-colon and colon are superfluous. – Nigel J Jan 08 '18 at 14:30
  • I agree that a comma is technically correct. However, I would choose a semicolon myself. I wish I knew or could explain why that is my strong preference – SAH Jan 09 '18 at 05:37
  • @NigelJ Maybe in the absence of "but" (in "but also") it needs to be a semicolon? – SAH Sep 04 '18 at 03:28

3 Answers3

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A comma belongs here. A semi-colon links two independent clauses that are closely related in thought, which is not what you have here.

Your thought that "...because the first clause doesn't seem to be an independent one since it doesn't convey a complete idea" is the exact reason why you need a comma instead of a semi-colon, because it's a dependent clause.

Marty Jo Thomas
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Though the usage has been criticized, not only ... [but] also functions as a coordinating conjunction even without the contrasting but, thus not requiring a semicolon to join two independent clauses. Since there appears to be a question whether this is indeed the case, look at the clauses without the conjunction:

Walker was a trailblazer in the medical field.

She was a visionary who bravely challenged many of the social prejudices of her day.

Both clauses have the structure Subj. + copula + predicate noun — clearly independent clauses.

The lack of the contrasting but does, however, suggest a colon might even add more drama to this sentence, as others have suggested. Whichever you decide, a semicolon would be the wrong punctuation here.

Community
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KarlG
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here

I concur with most of the answers here. The reason I doubt (With due respect) is that it is the official answer posted by Khan Academy (partnered with College Board). I cut the sentence short for the sake of simplicity. Kindly see the full question here and see if this conveys a hint or there's an error on their part.

Community
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Asad Raza
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  • 1)There is no possible way under the rules of English grammar that "Walker was not only a trailblazer in the medical field" is a relative clause. 2) A semicolon never sets off a relative clause from an independent one. Ever. – KarlG Jan 09 '18 at 08:15
  • Now one could argue that since but is a coordinating conjunction when used alone it is an essential part of not only...but also, thus its omission would require a semicolon, but here, Khan is misapplying a rule that doesn't exist. Quite an accomplishment! – KarlG Jan 09 '18 at 08:32