Answers to Questions About Semicolons

Answers to Questions About Semicolons Answers to Questions About Semicolons Answers to Questions About Semicolons By Mark Nichol Here are several questions from DailyWritingTips.com readers about use of prepositions, and my responses. 1. This sentence showcases my burning semicolon question: â€Å"That’s a great trick; best I’ve seen in ages.† I know the second clause in it contains no subject (or noun), at least explicitly. I’m therefore wondering whether this sentence can take a semicolon perhaps because the subject in the second clause is implied or instead deserves an em dash because there’s no second subject at all. The sentence, as you wrote it, is correct as you mention, the subject is implicit but the formality of the semicolon is at odds with the informality of the omission of the subject, so I’d opt for a breezy em dash instead. 2. In the following sentence, should semicolons separate the three business segments?: â€Å"Its businesses are divided into three segments: Domestic Retail, Bakeries and Foodservice, and International.† No, that’s a simple list with three simple elements. Even the addition of brief detail would not require semicolons, because the segments and their descriptions can be clearly delineated: â€Å"Domestic Retail, which includes merchandising through stores, Bakeries and Foodservice, which involves direct sales, and International, which deals with nondomestic buyers.† But when it would be obtrusive to repeat a structure such as â€Å"which (verb)† that clearly organizes the elements, use semicolons: â€Å"We invited our friends Jan and Dean; Fred and Wilma, the couple next door; and my brothers Greg, Peter, and Bobby and their wives.† 3. So, a comma in place of a semicolon is wrong? I once read a book on crafting sentences that mentioned that a semicolon is never accepted in American fiction and that a comma can always do the work. I’ve been going by this standard, and I like the economy and simplicity of the comma compared to the clumsy, Britishy semicolon. Do you think I’m wrong? A semicolon does seem intrusively formal for transcribing speech whether within dialogue in fiction or when quoting a speaker but replacing it with a comma is erroneous, and the book’s advice is unfortunate. I recommend using an em dash or starting a new sentence instead. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:85 Synonyms for â€Å"Help†Latin Plural EndingsHow Do You Fare?