Save the Semicolon
The semicolon awaits trial in global court. The indictment?
Uselessness. If convicted, it will be exiled from the Land of the Written Word.
This grieves my heart.
Worldwide, writers and editors have denounced the semicolon.
In its place they have sanctioned unthinkable replacements: Phrases and clauses
masquerading as sentences.
Groups of words divorced from both subject and verb. The
horror, the horror. And what about the
twenty-first century writer’s infatuation with the single-word pseudo-sentence?
Inexplicable.
I, on the other hand, come to praise the semicolon, not to
condemn it.
No other punctuation mark has the semicolon’s ability to
connect independent clauses without compromising their individuality, to
highlight the value of conjunctive adverbs, or to unsnarl a tangle of phrases
and commas, then align them in readable lists.
What makes the semicolon a remarkable invention, however, is
the nuances of meaning its presence heralds. The semicolon suggests a kinship
between two independent clauses that distinguishes them from the crowd of
sentences congregated in a paragraph. Without the semicolon’s assistance, the
meaning of both thoughts would be diminished; therefore, it enables writers who
appreciate its subtlety to craft more memorable sentences.
Example: Joy is not about praying for the sunshine; it’s
about playing in the rain.
Semicolons also provide an air of expectancy at the end of
an independent clause. They conduct a fluidity of thought that is blocked by a
period and too forceful to be controlled by a comma. When savvy readers
encounter a semicolon, they pause to examine the relationship between two
thoughts. In this role, a semicolon acts as a grammatical selah.
Example: I waited in silence as he read; I knew better than
to leave before I had been dismissed.
I close with three advisements:
- Don’t disrespect a semicolon by assuming it’s a pretentious comma or a period’s poor relation.
- Don’t use one between two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, or, nor, yet, so). That’s the comma’s job.
- Don’t use one in dialogue. That’s
the period’s job.
Save the semicolon, fellow writers. It deserves both our
protection and our patronage.
Lewis Thomas: “Sometimes you get a glimpse of a semicolon
coming, a few lines further on, and it is like climbing a steep path through
the woods and seeing a bench just at a bend in the road ahead, a place where
you can expect to sit for a moment, catching your breath.”
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Denise Loock is a writer, editor, and speaker. She is the
editor for The Journey Christian
Newspaper, which reaches over 60,000 online and print readers. As an
assistant editor, she helps Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas produce high
quality, engaging inspirational books. She accepts freelance editing projects
too. Contact her at denise@journeychristiannews.com
or info@digdeeperdevotions.com.
Denise,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I love the semicolon and would be sad to see it grow extinct. Your post was spot on, filled with practical teaching and application, funny, and clever. Honestly, when I saw you were writing on the semicolon, I expected good, albeit dry content. What a delightful surprise to be smiling all the way through your post. You're a gifted writer if you can take an academic subject like the proper way to use a semicolon and make it into a delightful read. Well done. Long live the semicolon!
Thanks, Lori. It was a fun piece to write.
DeleteDenise--Thank you, dear defense lawyer. I too stand as a ready witness to the usefulness of our winking friend; long live the semicolon!
ReplyDeleteYes, now if we can get everyone else on board. Semicolon lovers, unite!
DeleteNote: The two examples of proper semicolon usage I used were from Pam Thorson's "Out from the Shadows" and Dave Fessenden's 'The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy."
ReplyDelete