Semi-collon

[Troughton1963]

Is there anyone out there that can explain the semi colon rule to simple minded folks? I my recent story I got back from my editor I think I had this problem 50 times

 

[oggbashan]

Try this:

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/semicolons.asp

 

[Handley_Page]

Try this:

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/semicolons.asp

I have a problem with that page, Ogg. My English teacher would have a fit:-

Incorrect: I have one goal; to find her.
Correct: I have one goal: to find her.

to her, the first letter AFTER the colon should be in caps.

See No 15: HERE

 

[sr71plt]

to her, the first letter AFTER the colon should be in caps.

Only if what comes after the colon is a complete sentence. (Chicago Manual of Style, 6.61)

 

[Hypoxia]

I'll once again trot out some vintage wisdom:

I never did learn how to spell, – but I did learn the typesetter's rule, – "Set up type as long as you can hold your breath without turning blue in the face, then put in a comma. When you gape, put in a semicolon, and when you want to sneeze, that's the time to make a paragraph."

 

[sr71plt]

But then typesetters aren't editors.

A new (17th edition) Chicago Manual of Style has come out now. It's 1,146 pages and cost $56. I've closed my editorial business, so I don't think I'll buy--or quote--a copy of it. I'll still continue using the 16th edition for my own writing and watch out for other editors telling me of the changes in edition 17.

 

[sunandshadow]

I have a problem with that page, Ogg. My English teacher would have a fit:-

Incorrect: I have one goal; to find her.
Correct: I have one goal: to find her.

to her, the first letter AFTER the colon should be in caps.

See No 15: HERE

Urgh no, no capital letters in the middle of a sentence.

But my personal semi-colon rule is, if possible replace it with a period to avoid overly long sentences.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Is there anyone out there that can explain the semi colon rule to simple minded folks? I my recent story I got back from my editor I think I had this problem 50 times

The primary use of a semicolon is to separate two independent clauses - basically, things that could each be a sentence on their own. Think of it as "I could have put a full stop here, but I wanted to show that these two are closely connected".

For instance: "It had once been my mother's favourite record" and "I tried not to scratch it" are both complete sentences on their own. So you can write "I tried not to scratch it; it had once been my mother's favourite record". The semicolon might be appropriate here because it suggests that the two clauses are connected: the speaker tried not to scratch it because it was a favourite.

OTOH, "but the warden heard me" isn't a complete sentence, so we wouldn't write "I tried to tunnel out of my cell; but the warden heard me".

The secondary use of a semicolon is as a fallback list separator. Normally we use a comma to separate items in a list ("I bought ham, cheese, pineapple, and pizza base") but sometimes those items already have commas in them. In that case we can use a semicolon as the separator in place of a comma.

For example: "My favourite movies are Planes, Trains, and Automobiles; The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover; and Me, Myself, and Irene."

 

[SimonDoom]

One way to avoid trouble with semicolons in fiction is not to use them. In fiction they can be avoided most of the time.
Semicolons have a whiff of fussiness thats ok in nonfiction but sometimes out of place in a fiction story. Separate your independent clauses with periods. Then you don't have to worry. Most of the time this will do the trick.

 

[sr71plt]

Although I see no reason not to use semicolons in fiction for sentences very closely related--as in one idea closely following onto another one--or to help the reader with a clear road map in parsing complex series, that you can legitimately use sentence fragments in fiction does alleviate a lot of the usual need for semicolons that would be best use in nonfiction.

 

[Handley_Page]

Only if what comes after the colon is a complete sentence. (Chicago Manual of Style, 6.61)

I must see if the Oxford style guide can shed some light on the problem (Chicago is far, far away!)


Colon and semicolon
Use a colon to introduce a subclause which follows logically from the text
before it, is not a new concept and depends logically on the preceding main
clause.

When I was young, I went on two holidays: to the Lake District and to
Cornwall.
A new drink was introduced to Britain: tea.

Do not use a colon if the two parts of the sentence are not logically connected.

I used to be slim: I will try to lose weight.
I would like to be slim: I will try to lose weight.
We were in trouble this time: we’d never been in trouble before.
We were in trouble this time: the lid had come right off.

There are two parts to this sentence: the first part, which precedes the
colon, and the second part, which doesn’t.
Use a semicolon to link two related parts of a sentence, neither of which
depends logically on the other and each of which could stand alone as a
grammatically complete sentence.

The best job is the one you enjoy; the worst job is the one you hate.
It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far
better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.

Use semicolons in place of commas in a complicated list or sentence if it will
improve clarity, particularly if list items already include commas.

We plan to review the quality of the research of the department,
including its participation in interdepartmental, interdivisional and
interdisciplinary activities; its research profile and strategy; and future
challenges and opportunities.
I visited the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; the Victoria and Albert
Museum, London; and the Pencil Museum, Kesw

 

[sr71plt]

Yes, that's no different from Chicago style. And Chicago is a lot closer to where this Web site, which uses Chicago in its own grammar style for the Web site content, is hosted from than Oxford, England, is.

It would, of course, be interesting to know if British style was different from American style in this guidance . . . but it isn't.

 

[SimonDoom]

I decided to check if I practiced what I preached. The answer: pretty much. In my longest story, 17,000+ words, I used a semicolon only twice. In both instances I could have used a period instead, and it would have made little difference. In my second longest story, 13,000+ words, I used a semicolon 7 times, and in only one of those instances was a semicolon a clearly better choice than a period.

A semicolon has legitimate uses, but they are very limited. For a writer who is a novice or who is uncomfortable with his or her command of its uses, it can be dispensed with in 9 out of 10 cases with no loss to the story.

 

[Comentarista82]

I've been playing at this site and it really has helped me understand more nuances of grammar--although some of the explanations can get too detailed. Try here:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Semicolons.htm

 

[PervOtaku]

Most people don't know what the hell a semicolon is for and just use a comma splice where a semicolon should be. That's when you've got two independent clauses joined with a comma but no conjunction (and/or/but). I'm pretty guilty of that myself, but I had to look up proper semicolon usage while I was proofreading for a friend that tended to use it where he should have put just a colon.

 

[tomlitilia]

My two cents on semicolons... I find that when used correctly, it would be grammatically correct to just split the sentence into two. But the clauses are highly connected, and it works slightly better to connect them with the semicolon. Example:
"Overuse of fancy punctuation is for wankers; I'm restricting myself to one semicolon per page."

Also, the sentence usually make sense if the clauses swap position. Example:
"I'm restricting myself to one semicolon per page; overuse of fancy punctuation is for wankers."

 

[KenNicottii]

My most recent story, “The Flume at Falcon Rock,” was a very slow burn story that consumed over 40K words. The semicolon count was 25 (or about two per Lit page). Only a handful of these were used to join two closely linked sentences, something I try to do sparingly. All the rest were used for clarity to separate two independent clauses that had additional commas.

It wouldn’t be too hard to imagine some writing class or workshop where I’d get dinged for those other semicolons being used to enable longer, more complex sentences; but until that happens, I consider it an author’s style choice.

I do have one rule that exists outside of any grammar books: don’t use semicolons in dialog. I personally find they do read as “fussy”—no one talks with semicolons.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

I do have one rule that exists outside of any grammar books: don’t use semicolons in dialog. I personally find they do read as “fussy”—no one talks with semicolons.

Yes, they do.

"The skirt doesn't go with that hat; not that it matters, because you're not borrowing my skirt."

A full stop in there would be a dull way to speak. A comma loses all the emphasis.

Commas, semicolons, ellipsis, periods and paragraph breaks can all be clearly spoken; and they are useful even in casual conversations. Beware the person who only uses commas - I usually find they are so busy talking they aren't saying anything.

 

[sr71plt]

I just wish someone would start a new thread with "semicolon" spelled correctly. I cringe every time this thread pops up and I see "Semi-collon" again.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Yes, they do.

"The skirt doesn't go with that hat; not that it matters, because you're not borrowing my skirt."

A full stop in there would be a dull way to speak. A comma loses all the emphasis.

Commas, semicolons, ellipsis, periods and paragraph breaks can all be clearly spoken; and they are useful even in casual conversations. Beware the person who only uses commas - I usually find they are so busy talking they aren't saying anything.

Agree that - semicolons give a different beat to the sentence. People always talk with different breaks in their phrasing; that's why we use punctuation systems, to show that.

 

[NotWise]

I just wish someone would start a new thread with "semicolon" spelled correctly. I cringe every time this thread pops up and I see "Semi-collon" again.

I agree.