Hi Reader,
In editing news just in, research has revealed that semicolons are disappearing from our pages. The controversial punctuation mark’s usage has declined more than 50 per cent in British books in the last two decades.
I don’t have figures for Australian books but I would not be shocked if the semicolon’s decline was just as stark in our literature.
Honestly? I don’t blame writers for giving it a hard pass. The semicolon is a confusing piece of punctuation – and, unlike the full stop and comma, entirely optional. Why bother trying to figure it out when a dash will do?
I’ve certainly been there.
I don’t recall ever being taught how to use semicolons in school and I avoided them like the plague when I became a staff writer in magazine land.
As an editor I couldn’t ignore semicolons, and I’ve come to love this misunderstood mark. It’s quite an elegant bit of punctuation, and I promise you will feel like you’ve unlocked a new level of writing genius when you understand how it works.
Even better: it’s not nearly as tricky as it seems.
What to know about semicolons
A semicolon is the punctuation mark that stacks a full stop over a comma, like this: ;
It has only two uses. (Or three, if you include its role in the winky face emoticon ;)
The first is one you’re probably already familiar with: to clarify a complicated list. A semicolon separates items in a list when the items already contain commas. For example:
I’m going to the shops to buy milk, bread and butter; flowers, balloons and streamers to decorate the house; and some cakes for afternoon tea.
The second use for a semicolon is to connect two independent clauses. The semicolon shows that there is a close relationship between the two clauses, more than a mere full stop would indicate. Like this:
I love punctuation; learning how to use the semicolon was life-changing for me.
The independent part of that definition is vital; the clauses must be able to stand on their own as complete sentences. Ask yourself, could I replace the semicolon with a full stop? If yes, you’re doing it right.
However, if you use a comma instead of a semicolon, you have created a comma splice, which sounds like it could be a grammatical treat (just me?), but is technically a mistake.
Incorrect (comma splice): He burst through the window, the shattered glass cut his hands.
Correct: He burst through the window; the shattered glass cut his hands.
Incorrect (comma splice): You don’t owe me an apology, I was out of line.
Correct: You don’t owe me an apology; I was out of line.
Despite what grammar nerds will tell you, you can get away with a comma splice here and there in informal writing, especially fiction (and especially if you’re doing it on purpose – know the rules to break the rules, etcetera). But hey, as a wise woman once said, when you know better, do better.
And that’s it. That’s the two uses of the semicolon. Yes, there are some more dos and don’ts to be aware of (read about them in my blog post), but just knowing these two things will take you a long way.
A literary compliment
The semicolon is so famously despised by so many famous writers that I don’t need to repeat their insults here. Instead, how about some praise.
In one of my favourite books on punctuation, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, author Lynne Truss writes: ‘The semicolon has rightly been called “a compliment from the writer to the reader”.’
I love this idea – it acknowledges the nuance of the semicolon, which gently asks the reader to notice the connection the author is drawing between ideas and to hear the subtle distinction in rhythm and tone.
What a joy to be able to do so much with a single keystroke.
;)
Penny
PS: How do you feel about semicolons? Are you ready to make friends? Hit reply and let me know your questions/thoughts/fears/best semicolon insults!
