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Commas and semicolons both can separate phrases, clauses, or sentences, but they are used in different ways. Below are some of the most common ways commas and semicolons are used.
When and how to use semicolons: Semicolons connect two independent clauses that are closely related: The book is informative; it has helpful charts and graphs. My brother is going to Spain for the summer; he will be studying Spanish. Semicolons separate three or more items in a series that already have commas in them:
Depending on the circumstances, one of two different punctuation marks can be used between the independent clauses in a compound sentence: a comma or a semicolon.
A semicolon is used in place of a comma to separate phrases or items in a list or series when the phrases or items themselves contain commas or are especially long: Harry set out to find a dessert that would demonstrate his deep appreciation of Mabel's meal.
A semicolon may be used between independent clauses joined by a connector, such as and, but, or, nor, etc., when one or more commas appear in the first clause. Example: When I finish here, and I will soon, I'll be glad to help you; and that is a promise I will keep.
A semicolon can replace a period or a comma and a coordinating conjunction to demonstrate contrast between independent clauses instead of agreement. This is part of the same rule, but the conjunction in question is but instead of and.
Most commonly, the semicolon is used between two independent clauses (i.e., clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences) when a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) is omitted. The upperclassmen are permitted off-campus lunch; the underclassmen must remain on campus.