comma vs semicolon before 'however' [difference?; adverb]

angel heart1

Senior Member
Spanish
Hi,

Please, what is the difference between the following patterns of punctuation?

1. Semicolon + transitional expression + comma
2. Comma + transitional expression + comma

For example:The UConn women's basketball program is among the nation's best; however, they play in one of the weaker conferences.Why, there is a semicolon before "however" and a comma?

Thanks.

Source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/punct2_quiz.htm
 
  • Why is there a semicolon before however?

    Because it connects two independent clauses.

    Why is there a comma after however?

    Because we like "logical connectors" to be distinct from the clauses in which they appear.

    These are two separate questions. Even if the sentence was written with a period, there would still be a comma after "however":

    The UConn women's basketball program is among the nation's best. However, they play in one of the weaker conferences.
     
    Just to say, we don't always mind logical connectors not being distinct from their clauses:

    The ... program is among the nation's best; however, they play in one of the weaker conferences.

    The ... program is among the nation's best, although/but they play in one of the weaker conferences.

    The comma after however is because it's an adverb moved from its normal position as a rhetorical device rather than due to a syntactic process. However is not strictly a connective in the same way although.but is, which is why it doesn't have a comma after.
     
    Whoops, I see I was unclear. I was discussing logical connector adverbs like "however," "nevertheless," "subsequently," "furthermore," etc.
    The comma after however is because it's an adverb moved from its normal position as a rhetorical device rather than due to a syntactic process.
    I'm not sure if I agree with this, however. Where would the "normal" place of a sentence-modifying or situational adverb like "however" be? I think it's more rhetorical to put "however" in the middle or at the end of a sentence, whereas it's most common to see it at the beginning of a sentence.
     
    I don't disagree with what's been said above, but think however is a special case. If you didn't put a comma after however, the reader would begin to read the second clause as something like: ... however they play in one of the weaker conferences, they still lose. In order not to send your reader off along such a false track, it's pure politeness to use the comma. The "rules" are mere descriptions, coming after good usage.
     
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