The Takeaway
It is never correct to end a letter greeting with a semicolon. Instead, use a comma after the greeting and a period after name: Hello, Mr. Reader.
The Confusion
Semicolons often evoke semi confusion, let’s take a look at the below greeting:
HELLO Ms. Gaertner-Johnston;
What do you think? Is a semicolon correct after the greeting? How about a comma or a colon?
The semicolon is dead wrong. It is NEVER correct after a greeting. Never in a letter and never in an email.
Kathryn said she started using the semicolon unconsciously, and hers is the only explanation I can imagine for the widespread incorrect use of the semicolon in salutations.
The Confusion
Here’s the correct punctuation: a comma for a personal letter, a colon for a business letter, and either punctuation mark in an email. [The colon is formal.] But remember: Dear isn’t required in email, even when writing to a stranger. Try one of these two openings if you want to sound professional without using Dear:
Hello, Ms. Gaertner-Johnston.
Ms. Gaertner-Johnston, I found your website, and . . .
If you want to sound friendly with a stranger, try these:
Hi, Lynn.
Hi Lynn, [English teachers don’t like this choice. They want a comma between Hi and the name.]
Hello, Lynn.
Greetings, Lynn.
Lynn, thanks for the . . .
I’ve written a lot about greetings and salutations. If you want more examples, here’s a piece on salutations that I hope is helpful!
And now I’ve written enough for someone on vacation. The lightning has passed, the pavement is dry, and the pool is open again!
The colon is used chiefly to introduce a list, quotation, or explanation following an independent clause [complete sentence]. The semicolon indicates a stronger division than the comma. It's main use is to join two or more independent clauses [complete sentences], but it is also used in some cases to separate items in a list.Colon
Example: I have a few
favorite classes at LLCC: literature, psychology, and art.
Example: Sara studied hard for one purpose: to succeed in her college courses.
Example: In his book Life Lines, Forrest Church maintain that people should cry more: "
Life is difficult. Some people pretend that it is not, that we should be able to breeze through. Yet hardly a week passes in which most of us don't have something worth crying about."
Example: The primary question is this: Should we give up or keep working diligently toward our goal?
Example: Korea: A Country Divided
Example: To whom it may concern:
Example: 10:45Semicolon
Example: Some students do more than attend college; they have families and jobs that compete for their time as well.
Example: I needed more time to study for my classes; therefore, I cut back on the hours I worked each week.
Example: The Center for Academic Success offers peer tutoring for almost every subject; but if you need help with your writing, you should visit the Writing Center, conveniently located in the CAS.
Example: Jeff lived in Springfield, IL; Seattle, WA; and Orlando, FL.