Semicolons... Who uses them?

[sranta]

I recently got an article bounced due to semicolon abuse, which I thought was odd because I never use them. Turns out I stuck one in by accident as a typo in place of a comma, but it did get me thinking...

Does anyone actually use semicolons anymore? I rarely see them in print articles or online. IMHO pretty much any sentence that would use a semicolon according to the page that was pointed to in the rejection letter is best off being rewritten as two or more complete sentences for flow reasons anyway. In case you're curious, here's the page I'm referring to:

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/Semicolons.html

So is there any reason to use them these days?

[Ed]

I have mixed feelings about this. Probably 75% of the semicolons I see have been used incorrectly. Better not to use them at all than to use them incorrectly. When they are used correctly and sparingly, however, they do their job nicely, which is to make the relation between two statements (full sentences) stand out more clearly for the reader. Of course, they can also be used to break up series in which too many commas cause confusion. This is also an important usage for the semicolon.

Sentences can always be rewritten. Too many writers simply work with what's already on the page rather than choosing a different word, structuring a sentence differently, or adjusting another element of the sentence. Every sentence should be carefully considered.

Thanks,
Ed

[Celeste Stewart]

I use semicolons and would hate to see their demise. Their use can add nuance to a thought. While a period does the job, the resulting new sentence is physically separated from the preceding one which also adds its own nuance. Are the two thoughts intimately linked? If so, consider a semicolon. If not, then a period is more appropriate.

As Ed said, semicolons also replace commas for more complex series. For example, I would use semicolons to: make a series containing lots of phrases, or commas within the phrases, like this more clear; with a series of names containing confusing commas such as Martin Luther King, Jr., PhD; in place of a bulleted list when I want the look of a paragraph rather than the look of a list; and in other instances where using commas in the series would confuse.

Noah Lukeman says it best in his book A Dash of Style:
"We use semicolons for the same reason we trade cement floors for marble. . .The semicolon elevates punctuation from the utilitarian (punctuation that works) to the luxurious (punctuation that transcends)."

[Ed]

I agree. Semicolons are elegant punctuation marks.

Unfortunately, their subtlety means they get abused and over-used.

[viqifrench]

Oh, wow: I love semicolons. I have respect for writers who drop them in here and there (when not too wordy).

When used properly semicolons, do a great job of communicating a two-pronged point. They lend a sophisticated rhythm to how the reader "hears" your words, too.

[canywriter]

Me too; I would be seriously handicapped without semicolons. They make writing so much more conversational, the short pause, the long pause, the pregnant pause...

I would hate to see them languish and die.

CW