Pulmonary Surfactant. The force of surface tension in the lungs is so great that without something to reduce the surface tension, the airways would collapse after exhalation, making re-inflation during inhalation much more difficult and less effective. Collapse of the lungs is called alectasis.
Rules for Using Semicolons. A semicolon is most commonly used to link (in a single sentence) two independent clauses that are closely related in thought. When a semicolon is used to join two or more ideas (parts) in a sentence, those ideas are then given equal position or rank. Some people write with a word processor; others write with a pen or pencil. Use a semicolon between two independent clauses that are connected by conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases.
How to Use a Semicolon Correctly. The most common use of the semicolon is to join two independent clauses without using a conjunction like and. Do you use a capital letter after a semicolon? The general answer is no. A semicolon should be followed by a capital letter only if the word is a proper noun or an acronym.