The only ways you should be using a semicolon
The semicolon is the comma's first cousin, but it works a little bit harder; it also makes you look smarter

A semicolon, the hybrid between a colon and a comma, is often considered one of the more pompous punctuation marks.
In reality, it gets a bad rap just because few people know how and when to use it.
The semicolon is used to indicate a pause, usually between two main clauses, that needs to be more pronounced than the pause of a comma.
So what are the practical ways to implement this little grammatical workhorse?
Read on to see how it can help you merge connected thoughts, separate listed items clearly, and form a bridge to another sentence.