The semi-colon is one of the most misunderstood, overused, and abused punctuation marks.
I’ve seen semi-colons used instead of a comma, a period, or a colon. 🤦🏿
As a copy editor, I have a confession: I hate semi-colons.
Example: The dog barked at the mailman; but he came close to the house.
Did the dog bark at the mailman because he got too close to the house?
Did the dog bark at the mailman despite him (the dog or the mailman?) being far away from the house?
Misusing semi-colons can confuse and frustrate your reader and undermine your credibility. #TrueStory
Quick Tip: When you have two closely related but independent clauses (think mini-sentences that can stand on their own), separate them with a period!
💡Here are a couple of ways to fix the above example:
- The dog barked at the mailman. He came close to the house.
- The dog barked at the mailman because he had come close to the house.
Instead of using semi-colons, let’s use periods to make two completely separate sentences or add “because” to explain the “why” of the matter!
Don’t let this misunderstood punctuation mark wreak havoc on your writing.
Join me in my crusade to end the reign of the semi-colon! #deathtothesemicolon
What’s your stand on semi-colons? Love or hate them?
_______________________
🤓 Don’t care about the nuances of grammar usage but want to publish error-free content? Then outsource your copy editing projects with me to save time, money, and your sanity.
