Question

Either a semicolon or a comma will adequately separate the parts of a compound sentence.

Answer 1

Yes, but when using a comma the 2nd part of the sentence typically can't stand alone. On the other hand, semicolons are used to connect two related sentences that can stand alone.

Answer 2

It technically could be both answers, because a compound sentence is two independent clauses used in one sentence, or conjoined. Most likely, the answer will be a comma, since it is more widely used in English.