human
I'm a bit confused about the difference between a comma and a semicolon. Can you explain the difference to me?
assistant
A comma is used to separate two independent clauses, while a semicolon is used to separate two related independent clauses. For example, "The dog barked; The cat meowed." In this sentence, the first clause is an independent clause because it can stand on its own as a complete thought, while the second clause is dependent on the first one because it cannot stand alone as a complete thought.