Consider when you have two distinct statements that are related but the former does not necessarily lead into the latter; a semicolon is appropriate in such an instance.

Alternatively, just don't bother and use two sentences.

I like to use a long dash instead. It gives the two statements more breathing room.

It's called an em dash. It's a dash the width of the "M" glyph.

https://www.thepunctuationguide.com/em-dash.html

No one really cares.

You're not going to lose a reader over semicolon misuse if you're solving a problem for them.

Dev with a flair for writing over here. Using semicolons is a good practice for separating clauses, especially if you're being verbose

My mother gave me my first car; it was an beautiful 2002 Honda Civic with a falling-off bumper and bald tires.

You could replace the semicolon with a comma thus:

My mother gave me my first car, a beautiful 2002 Honda Civic with a falling-off bumper and bald tires.

That feels a little more natural, but is harder to read accurately.

It's useful in legal and technical writing, but not necessarily great for everyday life. Personally, I don't really use semicolons; you may have different opinions on their usage.

It's basically an arrow in text.

this -> that

as opposed to a comma, which feels more like

this and also that

> Using semicolons is a good practice for separating clauses, especially if you're being verbose

Can't a period do that?

Yep. Sometimes that feels too abrupt, though. Even if you're trying to be pointed.

I like using these two ‘jokes’. Neither of them are actually funny, but they help (me).

- What is the difference between a semicolon and a cat??

One has a pause at the end of its clause. The other has claws at the end of its paws.

- What happened when the semicolon broke grammatical rules??

It got two consecutive sentences.

—-

All that said, it’s usually better not to. There aren’t really many cases in modern English where a semicolon is necessary. And there are even fewer cases where a semicolon provides a more clear expression than two sentences. In practice, they’re most often part of really badly disjointed ‘sentences’.

Don't use it.

Haha. Well said.

My mother has a PHD in English Literature and has taught languages and writing in college for decades. She's also a book editor and an author with published works from picture books for children to graduate-level text books. She tells me that the semi-colon's primary use is to let the reader know that the author attended college. Just use a period.

As T.S. Eliot said, great writers steal. That’s Kurt Vonnegut’s joke!

Don't use it; or do, I'm not your English teacher.

I only use it as an upgraded comma. The options are red, green, blue; cyan, magenta, yellow, black; or black and white.

You mean in JavaScript? ;)