I am addicted to the semicolon, though for years I didn’t know how to deploy it and just wrote run-on sentences instead. The semi-colon is useful when you need a sentence to shift or surprise; to be modified or amended; it allows a generosity, lyricism and ambiguity to creep into the sentence structure. So, yes, it can also be the sign of a self-indulgent writer and should be used with care. – Anne Enright
You practically do not use semicolons at all. This is a symptom of mental defectiveness, probably induced by camp life. George Bernard Shaw to TE Lawrence, on the Seven Pillars of Wisdom
I love it; it is useful for many things. My understanding is, it is correctly used to join two complete, but related sentences; this way, the reader feels the link, albeit subtly. I love it so much, in fact, that I am currently writing a story made up of only semi-colons; it is quite a challenge, but I believe in it very much. – George Saunders
Now what in the heck do those pesky punctuation marks have to do with DRIVING MISS SHARI? Well, as it turns out — a whole lot.
This blog began last August to make the most of an accident that deprived me of my driving privileges for 55 days. [Read all about it on my first post "How to Become Rich and Famous on the Web"].
NOTE: 496 comments on that post (at the moment). Will yours push the total over my goal of 500?
If you’ve read (or contributed) any of the comments, you’ve no doubt met Mike Maynard, my blog-within-a-blogger who has dozens of comments and several full posts of his own. [His links listed at end of article].
This blog has taken on a “life” of its own, traveling way off its original course; you know, like Life, right?
Well, as Chief Blogger and Editor [and an English teacher], I try to correct grammar on comments before posting them. Mike is British and the Queen’s English differs somewhat from ours on “this side of the pond” — as Mike would refer to us.
I don’t correct British spellings, but I have been changing some punctuation — especially semicolons; then I wondered are British rules for semicolons different than ours?
FOR YOUR GRAMMATICAL EDIFICATION:
You can read Mike’s and my conversation about semicolons along with Mike’s research on their proper usage.
2010/12/04 at 2:42 pm | In reply to Mike Maynard.
Mike, we need to do some research on British vs. English use of SEMI-COLONS
I’ve been changing yours to match American standards, but I don’t change your spelling. But I just read a GUEST POST on a writing/grammar bloghttp://www.dailywritingtips.com/whither-the-semicolon-whither-the-comma/
and the Guest Poster was WRONG about semicolons, and dozens of commenters told her so.
However, perhaps you can look up British rules for semicolons. And if they allow them in the way you are using them, that will save me LOTS of time editing.
(Looking forward to today’s post on your site: http://sharisax.com/DrivingMissShari/2010/09/guest-blogger-mike-maynard-wit-farmville-strategies/#comment-1104)
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More semi colons
Semi colons and colons derive from Latin and earlier than that Ancient Greek.
Usage:
Semicolons are followed by a lower case letter, unless that letter is the first letter of a proper noun. They have no spaces before them, but one space after (possibly two when using monospaced fonts). Applications of the semicolon in English include
Between closely related independent clauses not conjoined with a coordinating conjunction:“I went to the basketball building; I was told it was closed for cleaning.”
“I told Ben he’s running for the hills; I wonder if he knew I was joking.”
“Nothing is true; everything is permitted.”
“A man chooses; a slave obeys.”Between independent clauses linked with a transitional phrase or a conjunctive adverb
“Everyone knows that he is guilty of committing the crime; of course, it will never be proven.”[2]
“Bob’s friend was refused admittance by the doorkeeper; as a result, he left before the flamingos.”“I like to eat fish; however, I don’t like to be eaten by them.”
“I like being odd; yet, I hate being different.”Between items in a series or listing containing internal punctuation, especially parenthetic commas, where the semicolons function as serial commas:
“She saw three men: Jamie, who came from New Zealand; John, the milkman’s son; and George, a gaunt kind of man.”
“Several fast food restaurants can be found in each of: London, England; Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; and Madrid, Spain.”
“Examples of familiar sequences are: one, two and three; a, b and c; and first, second and third.”
So now you know!
Links to Mike’s blogs-within-my-blog:
In which you get to know Guest Blogger Mike Maynard & his Wit & his Farmville strategies
Say NO to credit cards . . . and YES to getting rich and famous
Jump in . . . do you use semicolons?
Do you care? If not, what do you care about?
