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The (Sensual) Semicolons Page: ;

True story: I once had an operation in which my intestine, my colon, had to be cut into two pieces. Gross!

I was lying in the hospital bed feeling sorry for myself when my friend, Dave , came to visit.

"Only an English teacher would have an operation to get a semicolon."

That's what he said.

Yup.

Those were his very words.

Oh well.

Note: If you don't understand why this story is funny, you really need to study this page.

Notice what the semicolon looks like. ;

It looks like a period sitting on top of a comma.

Good observation.

The semicolon is a kind of cross between the comma and period.

One of the jobs a semicolon has is to connect two sentences; you use the semicolon this way when you don't want to use the comma/conjunction combination.

Semicolons are also used in combination with words such as "however", "therefore" and other transitional words; nonetheless, if you make jokes about your teacher's colon, you will probably discover a marked absence of a sense of humour in this teacher.

Sometimes you develop some nice, sophisticated writing in which your commas need some help.

Send in the semicolon!

Ralph, the freak; Harry, the jock; Sam, the nerd all eat Cheerios for breakfast.

The semicolons help the reader know when you have moved on to the next stereotype in the series.

You wouldn't need the power of the semicolon if it had been a simple series:

Ralph, Harry, and Sam all eat toast for breakfast.

However:

When the sun shines, the robins sing, the happiness bubbles, I begin to worry about my taxes; but, when the snow falls, the bridges freeze before the road, the pain of frostbite is evident, I party hardy.

There is a semicolon where there would be a comma if I had not needed all those other commas: In spring I begin to worry about my taxes, but in winter I party hardy.

Suggestion: Get out one of your writings. Put some semicolons in where they might fit; are you sure they're in good places; would your teacher agree; would your teacher think you're using too many semicolons; go ahead and ask him or her.

That's pretty much it for semicolons; if you see my friend Dave, give him one.

To return to Step Two, please click : HERE

The Wonderful Writing Skills (Un)Handbook
		The (Sensual) Semicolons Page: ; True story: I once had an operation in which my intestine, my colon, had to be cut into two pieces. Gross! I was lying in the hospital bed feeling sorry for myself when my friend, Dave , came to visit. "Only an English teacher would have an operation to get a semicolon." That's what he said. Yup. Those were his very words. Oh well. Note: If you don't understand why this story is funny, you really need to study this page. Notice what the semicolon looks like. ; It looks like a period sitting on top of a comma. Good observation. The semicolon is a kind of cross between the comma and period. One of the jobs a semicolon has is to connect two sentences; you use the semicolon this way when you don't want to use the comma/conjunction combination. Semicolons are also used in combination with words such as "however", "therefore" and other transitional words; nonetheless, if you make jokes about your teacher's colon, you will probably discover a marked absence of a sense of humour in this teacher. Sometimes you develop some nice, sophisticated writing in which your commas need some help. Send in the semicolon! *Ralph, the freak; Harry, the jock; Sam, the nerd all eat Cheerios for breakfast.* The semicolons help the reader know when you have moved on to the next stereotype in the series. You wouldn't need the power of the semicolon if it had been a simple series: *Ralph, Harry, and Sam all eat toast for breakfast.* However: When the sun shines, the robins sing, the happiness bubbles, I begin to worry about my taxes; but, when the snow falls, the bridges freeze before the road, the pain of frostbite is evident, I party hardy. There is a semicolon where there would be a comma if I had not needed all those other commas: In spring I begin to worry about my taxes, but in winter I party hardy. Suggestion: Get out one of your writings. Put some semicolons in where they might fit; are you sure they're in good places; would your teacher agree; would your teacher think you're using too many semicolons; go ahead and ask him or her. That's pretty much it for semicolons; if you see my friend Dave, give him one. To return to Step Two, please click : HERE
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