Punctuation with the conjunctive adverb rather

Question:

Have I punctuated the sentence below correctly? I'm never quite sure how to punctuate sentences with rather.

• Windsor is not a quiet place, rather, it's a bustling centre.

Answer:

In this sentence, rather is acting as a conjunctive adverb, joining two independent clauses. In this case, the purpose of rather is to correct what was stated and to describe the true situation. A conjunctive adverb must be preceded by a semicolon, an em dash (long dash) or a period. Here are the ways to punctuate your sentence:

• Windsor is not a quiet place; rather, it's a bustling centre.
• Windsor is not a quiet place—rather, it's a bustling centre.
• Windsor is not a quiet place. Rather, it's a bustling centre.

You could also make the second clause dependent and eliminate the need for punctuation before rather:

• Windsor is not a quiet place but rather a bustling centre.