Semicolons

In reply to Keltie, yes, I have a thing about semicolons; it seems that every time I spot a semicolon these days it is not being used correctly. I hadn’t noticed that you used a lot of them, so I searched back in your archives and found a few. They are not that retchworthy.

Many people have a problem with semicolons (using them in all the wrong places) but I’ve grown to love them and they are easy to use if you know the rule. For you, however, there is a simple prescription: Whenever you want to use a semicolon you must fight it; put a colon there instead. You always seem to use a semicolon where a colon would be correct (to replace some words that would introduce a list of items).

• Incorrect: He enjoyed the perks of his job; clean carpets, a big desk and the one-way mirror.
• Correct: He enjoyed the perks of his job: clean carpets, a big desk and the one-way mirror.
• Incorrect: He enjoyed the perks of his job, which were: clean carpets, a big desk and the one-way mirror.

(Note that the last example is incorrect because the colon is unnecessary. The colon exists to stand in for the words ‘which were’; they can’t be used together.)

The semicolon can be used to delimit lists of items which contain commas. Most people don’t have trouble using a semicolon this way. I like cake, which is tasty; cheese, which is tasty; one-way mirrors, which… The problem people get into is with the real use of the semicolon.

Colin’s simple rule in plain English for the ‘real’ use of a semicolon:

1. Use a semicolon only if it could be correctly replaced by a period. (If you look at the first few paragraphs, all semicolons can be replaced by periods and things are still correct.)

2. When a period can be used, you can use a semicolon to indicate a strong connection between two sentences. (If you look at the first few paragraphs, all semicolons are supposed to indicate that the second sentence is related to the first one.)

So there you have it. And if there are any finnicky punctuation people out there… I’m happy to start a fight about my use of capital letters after colons. More and more modern grammar book authors are trying to bury this usage (I check every such book I can find) but I will keep it alive. Perhaps I should create an organization devoted to this… I could call it ‘Lovers of the colon full stop.’ Hmmm… perhaps that’s not a good name… or maybe it needs some punctuation or something.

And another thing… I love my comma splices. I’m the semicolon police, not the comma police. See Andrew for that.

Anyway, I realize this is a bit of a didactic response to the person who said her blog was not for my happiness-of-punctuation, so I hereby grant you an indulgence for future misuse of the semicolon.

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› normative     2004-11-03 15:23   ...3