According to research, the death of the semicolon is near; with its usage in English books plummeting by almost half in two decades. But, what is the appropriate use of the semicolon? What grammatical function does it intend to fill? And, is its increasing rarity a cause for concern?

Lisa McLendon is Author of The Perfect English Grammar Workbook and has done research on the semicolon. She joins Seán to discuss.