Semicolons: A Love Story (New York Times)

[Book O'Dead]

I can't say I use them smartly, but I try.


http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/semicolons-a-love-story/

[Agent Ducky]

I'm a total grammar nerd and this article made my night. Thank you for posting this.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

This just reminds me of when I was at uni and my lecturer told us that none of us had used semi-colons in the correct way in the last assignment and to just never use them ever again.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

I loved it! lol... the writer brought humor and style to his piece and I for one greatly enjoyed it.Reminded me of the numerous times my ENG101 professor lectured us on the proper use of semicolons. Though it took me a while to learn how to properly use them ultimately I agree with the author of the linked article.

[Dumb]

As far as I'm concerned, if the semicolon comes between two independent clauses and you don't feel like you're over-using it, go for it. There are way too many prescriptive rules from people who are saying, in effect, "I know what you're trying to say better than you do."

[Deicide]

Is my sig doing it right?

[Sendo]

Is my sig doing it right?

No. Use a comma or an em dash, a colon if you must.

[Book O'Dead]

In my experience, the best published guide on everything English is Strunk and White's 'The Elements of Style': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style

My version is only 85 pages, including E.B White's introduction. As you probably know, E.B. White was the guy who wrote "Charlotte's Web", one of the most beautiful children's story of the English language and of the world.

You can get The Element's of Style in pdf format here:

http://www.cs.vu.nl/~jms/doc/elos.pdf

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Let the semi-colon forever live; banish to the ash-heap the rotten pigs who, oh so wisely proclaim, their mastery of the language; use it everywhere you want, an anarchy of words, conform not to the suggestions of the vapid and insipid ones; oh, great semi-colon, how you brighten up our text, give variation to the lines and letters, how much better you are ,than superfluous full-stops and cheerless dashes.

[Book O'Dead]

Let the semi-colon forever live; banish to the ash-heap the rotten pigs who, oh so wisely proclaim, their mastery of the language; use it everywhere you want, an anarchy of words, conform not to the suggestions of the vapid and insipid ones; oh, great semi-colon, how you brighten up our text, give variation to the lines and letters, how much better you are ,than superfluous full-stops and cheerless dashes.

A timely apologia for William S. Burroughs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Burroughs