![]() If the first and third examples are correct, does that mean a semicolon is just a fancy way of replacing the comma and a coordinating conjunction? Was the author Kurt Vonnegut correct when he said semicolons represented “absolutely nothing” and “it is only used to show you have been to college.”? Or do we take the side of President Abraham Lincoln, who said: “…I have great respect for the semicolon he’s a useful little chap.”?Īs you may have gathered, the use of the semicolon can be a question of style. It is as if the semicolon is saying to the reader: “You have just read this first piece of information, but you should now get ready for this further piece of information, as it is related to the first.” In the final example, the semicolon is acting as a bridge between the two clauses. However, we know that they are closely related, so splitting the sentences with a period is both clumsy and a poor use of punctuation. ![]() In the second example, the period suggests that the two pieces of information are unrelated. In the first example, we must use the conjunction because after the comma to introduce the clause. My brother is going to Harvard he got excellent grades. My brother is going to Harvard, because he got excellent grades.Ģ. Those two punctuation marks seem clear, but a semicolon? A semicolon is stronger than a comma, but it does not signal finality in the same manner as a period.ġ. The comma, however, is used as a brief pause to separate items in a list or introduce a clause with the help of a coordinating conjunction (if, but, because, etc.). As pointed out in in the example above, the period has a note of finality to it, meaning the sentence has come to a stop. So, why are semicolons so often misused, especially when compared to other types of punctuation like commas, periods and question marks? The confusion comes with the fact that the semicolon operates in a kind of murky gray area between commas and periods. But with a semicolon there you get a pleasant little feeling of expectancy there is more to come read on it will get clearer.” The period tells you that that is that if you didn’t get all the meaning you wanted or expected, anyway you got all the writer intended to parcel out and now you have to move along. “I have grown fond of semicolons in recent years…It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a semicolon than a period. Doctor and essayist Lewis Thomas explain the semicolon’s purpose perfectly in Notes on Punctuation: What is a Semicolon?Ī semicolon is a punctuation mark that looks like a comma topped with a period. Once you gain some basic knowledge about how to use semicolons the right way, you will be able to incorporate them into your writing with confidence. In fact, many who are new to writing – and many who have been writing for years – are intimidated by them and elect not to use them.
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