The Sentence Splicer: Using the Semicolon
A misplaced semicolon will break up a free-flowing sentence into two parts so incompatible that a marriage therapist should be called in.
There was a time when I didn't know how to use the semicolon. I used it incorrectly for so long that I developed semicolon cancer. The malignancy grew, until it began to destroy my sentences, turning a complete sentence into a bifurcated sentence, or leaving two fresh ideas to read stale as two separate sentences.
Semicolons are a powerful form of punctuation. When I finally learned how to use it, I could structure my sentences with another great tool, a tool that organizes thoughts while separating distinctions.
First, the semicolon splices two complete sentences together. Each must have a subject and a verb. This is the wrong way to use a semicolon:
I went to church yesterday; and to an orgy.
Or:
Lenny had an affair with Doris; and Joanie and Martha.
Both of the second parts are not complete sentences but sentence fragments. Secondly, the two sentences have to be closely-related. Here's an example:
Lately, I've been feeling funny; I don't feel like laughing, though.
Or:
I love golf; golf hates me.
And:
Mary is quite contrary; she contradicts everything I say.
Finally:
I got a B in my "How To Play the Slots" class; my study sessions paid off.
I would never write:
Lately, I've been feeling funny; my sister had her leg removed.
Or:
I love golf; Tiger Woods is a sex addict.
And:
Mary is quite contrary; I think she should grow a garden.
Finally:
I got a B in my "How To Play the Slots" class; I think I'll play poker in Las Vegas.
Those second parts of the last four sentences have no logical connection to their first parts.
A semicolon is a period on top of a comma, which helps me remember that the semicolon is stronger and carries more power than the comma but not as strong and definitive as the period. Here are the four ways to use the semicolon:
1. To combine two independent clauses: My wife likes CSI: Miami; I like The Food Network.
2. To combine clauses connected by conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases: I wanted to buy a pizza; however, cheese gives me gas.
3. Use semicolons when lists have items containing commas: I have visited San Francisco, Sacramento and Sonoma in northern California; Los Angeles, Santa Ana and San Diego in southern California; and Tijuana, Ensenada and Rosarita Beach in Baja California.
4. Use semicolons with long phrases that would be easier to delineate the phrase's parts by separating with a semicolon:
I've eaten meals at the home of the McWilliams, my cousins; the McTeagues, my friends; the McPhersons, my enemies; and the McDonalds, my home away from home.
Proper use of the semicolon allows me to write with a smooth flow and to avoid reader confusion.
Copyright 2010 by Tom Eubanks
I gave your blog a plug on my FB page; 95% of Americans are in dire need of the writing tips you provide. Unfortunately, those who need them most are least likely to read them. But, I also mentioned that it's a wonderful blog for simply enjoying some very entertaining and well-written stories. Actually, I didn't mention the writing tips; I was afraid it would keep people away. But, they are definitely a great addition to this blog. Of course, I'm already aware of the rules (as you can see from my above uses of the semicolon), but I enjoy reading them anyway. I have a tutoring student (translation: I write his papers for him. I know it's unethical, but aside from the money, I have great fun writing them. Makes me feel like my brain cells are not dying from lack of use). Anyway, when I dictate a paper to him and say "semicolon," he asks, "dot-dot or dot-comma?" Mind you, this is a 38-yr-old college student, who has already retired from his first career and is preparing for another. I have told him I will no longer write the papers, but will edit them. I am going to require that he read this blog's every entry as a condition of my employment. Thank you, Tom, for your meritorious service to mankind.
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Thanks so much for the plug. I am generally amazed at how smart, educated people just don't know how to use basic punctuation. Says a lot about either the schools or their memory--I don't know which--maybe both. I think some of them were deprived as children and were so poor they couldn't pay attention.
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Good info; I will probably over use it!
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You just did.
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Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.
Kurt Vonnegut, A Man without a Country
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Well, heck, if Kurt said it, I'll never use another one. I'll...I'll turn to colons, which are just above my semicolon--or, no, I'll go down--yeah, I'll use my dangling participle.
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You had me from the first sentence on this post. One of my favorite books is "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" mostly because of the humorous slant the writer uses to tackle her subject.
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"Eats, Shoots & Leaves." The first and the last words are self-explanatory, but that "shoots" in the middle can mean a whole lot of things. Intriguing. I appreciate your dropping by.
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