When do you use a semi colon?

Thanks for posting that oatmeal link; I've never laughed out loud reading a punctuation lesson before.

Did I do that right?

Yep.

Chase, needlessly backing up the Sage one who's backing up Dear Maryn

Some people have entire manuscripts with no semicolons, others might use them sparingly, others might use them more often. I think modern writers are more likely to go light on them than in the days of yore, but this is one of those things that will vary by style. I tend to err on the side of two separate sentences myself, but I'll occasionally use a semicolon if the two independent clauses are very closely related and I want to make it clear that the second is a consequence of the first when I'm not using a conjunction like "so" for some reason.

I wouldn't trust grammar checker to tell me when one is appropriate, though it's possible it could be preferentially "correcting" a comma splice by suggesting a semicolon instead of telling you to add a coordinating conjunction or telling you to separate the two clauses with a period. In fact, most punctuation mistakes have more than one fix, and word's grammar checker doesn't generally give you multiple options, does it?

By comma splice, I mean something like this:

My dog chases squirrels every morning, the noise always wakes me up before the alarm goes off.

You could fix this by adding a semicolon, or a period (making two separate sentence), or using a coordinating conjunction like an "and" or a "so." Or you could restructure the sentence entirely. Which fix is best depends on the exact meaning or emphasis you want to convey, the style, and even the rhythm you're shooting for.

Roxxsmom said:

I wouldn't trust grammar checker to tell me when one is appropriate, though it's possible it could be preferentially "correcting" a comma splice . . .

My dog chases squirrels every morning, the noise always wakes me up before the alarm goes off.

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True, or it could even suggest a semicolon simply because the "t" in "the noise" wasn't capitalized.

My dog chases squirrels every morning. the noise always wakes me up before the alarm goes off.

If they are being suggested by a grammar checker, then look to see if you have comma splices. Comma splices will usually produce an alert from the grammar checker, and they often can be cured by replacing the comma with a semi colon.

King Neptune said:

If they are being suggested by a grammar checker, then look to see if you have comma splices. Comma splices will usually produce an alert from the grammar checker, and can be cured by replacing the comma wiht a semi colon.

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Using a semicolon just to cure a comma splice could lead to semicolon misuse.

"I left my house early; the neighbor's dog was chained outside but didn't see me."

It's probably wisest to examine each comma splice to see the best way to correct it.

guttersquid said:

Using a semicolon just to cure a comma splice could lead to semicolon misuse.

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It could, but it could also lead to the correct use of a semicolon.

King Neptune said:

It could, but it could also lead to the correct use of a semi-colon.

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Which will almost always mean you have a sentence that is perfectly punctuated, and lousy.

In thirty-five years as a writer, and as an editor, I have never found a time when a semicolon was the best choice in fiction. Almost every last time, it means the writer wrote a poor sentence, and tried to fix it with a semicolon.

Few, if any, semicolons are planned before the sentence starts. The writers starts writing, realizes at some point that the sentence either doesn't say what he wants, or doesn't say enough, slaps on a semicolon, keeps writing, and Bob's your uncle.

This is a lousy way to write good fiction.

I can't remember a case where a rewrite wouldn't be better than a semicolon. But writers don't really want to rewrite. Grammatically speaking, the semicolon is in the right place, so it must be fine. It almost never is.

Do yourself a favor, do readers a favor, and when you find yourself using a semicolon for any reason, go back and read the sentence again. I'd be willing to bet you can write a much, much better sentence that includes whatever came after the semicolon, if it needs to be there, which it may or may not. Usually not.

Jamesaritchie said:

Few, if any, semicolons are planned before the sentence starts. The writers starts writing, realizes at some point that the sentence either doesn't say what he wants, or doesn't say enough, slaps on a semicolon, keeps writing, and Bob's your uncle.

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No, Bob's my youngest brother; we don't have an uncle named Robert. We've long disagreed on your other point, as well. Obviously writing without semicolons works for you, and more power to your style.

However, advising others to cut out a viable punctuation tool with a long and honored history seems like nose shearing.

guttersquid said:

Using a semicolon just to cure a comma splice could lead to semicolon misuse.

"I left my house early; the neighbor's dog was chained outside but didn't see me."

It's probably wisest to examine each comma splice to see the best way to correct it.

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This. Grammar checker is pretty useless if you don't already have a good grasp of grammar and understand, not only what is grammatically correct, but the nuances of when one sentence structure works better for what you're trying to say. And of course, how you say something matters too.

I love cooking my pets and my family.

I love cooking, my pets, and my family.

Both are potentially correct in terms of punctuation, but they mean completely different things.

Jamesaritchie said:

In thirty-five years as a writer, and as an editor, I have never found a time when a semicolon was the best choice in fiction. Almost every last time, it means the writer wrote a poor sentence, and tried to fix it with a semicolon.

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Many many many fine writers use semicolons, including your most favoritest deity, Ray Bradbury. And use them very well.

caw

hang on... is it semi colon, semicolon, or semi-colon? i'm confused.

Roxxsmom said:

This. Grammar checker is pretty useless if you don't already have a good grasp of grammar and understand, not only what is grammatically correct, but the nuances of when one sentence structure works better for what you're trying to say. And of course, how you say something matters too.

I love cooking my pets and my family.

I love cooking, my pets, and my family.1

Both are potentially correct in terms of punctuation, but they mean completely different things.

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Both are correct, but cannibals prefer the first, which also works well in horror.

jerrimander said:

hang on... is it semi colon, semicolon, or semi-colon? i'm confused.

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Thanks for asking. I didn't know either, so I looked it up. It appears that "semicolon" probably is most accepted now.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/semi-colon?s=t

thank goodness, that's cleared up! whew!

The guy goes to the trouble of finding you an answer and this is your response ?

jerrimander said:

thank goodness, that's cleared up! whew!

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Ken said:

The guy goes to the trouble of finding you an answer and this is your response ?

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I've seen much worse replies.

Jamesaritchie said:

In thirty-five years as a writer, and as an editor, I have never found a time when a semicolon was the best choice in fiction. Almost every last time, it means the writer wrote a poor sentence, and tried to fix it with a semicolon.

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A semi-colon is an elegant piece of punctuation in the hands of a good writer. But if you don't like them, then all semi-colons are going to appear clumsy and unnecessary to you.

I mostly use semicolons when I have several simple ideas to get across and I'm trying to avoid too many short, choppy sentences.

Which brings up my question, since this quite often happens in dialogue.

I had a beta tell me to use a comma splice instead if it was contained in dialogue.

Seriously? I don't get why there would be different punctuation rules inside quotations, but I thought I should probably check.

For clarity:

"I went to the store; Tom said we need lettuce." This is how I would write it.

"I went to the store, Tom said we need lettuce." This is what was recommended.

Any input from grammar faeries is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

CathleenT said:

I mostly use semicolons when I have several simple ideas to get across and I'm trying to avoid too many short, choppy sentences.

Which brings up my question, since this quite often happens in dialogue.

I had a beta tell me to use a comma splice instead if it was contained in dialogue.

Seriously? I don't get why there would be different punctuation rules inside quotations, but I thought I should probably check.

For clarity:

"I went to the store; Tom said we need lettuce." This is how I would write it.

"I went to the store, Tom said we need lettuce." This is what was recommended.

Any input from grammar faeries is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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Tell your beta he or she is bonkers. There's no dispensation for comma splices within quotation marks, or dialogue. I've no idea where someone even came up with that.