What Is The Semicolon Just Plain Silly

In the day where technology is thriving, and the communication through email and text messages are now the common norm, there has been a steady decline and absence on the use of proper punctuation. The slow disappearance of punctuation standards, like commas and apostrophes, indicate the need for change towards the written world. Lynne Truss considers herself a stickler for punctuation, and her book, Eats, Shoots and Leaves addresses the minority of those who regard themselves as punctuation "sticklers" as well. Through the use of humor, figurative language such as relatable analogies and real life anecdotes, Lynne Truss creates a call to action for all the fellow punctuation sticklers: embrace proper punctuation, and require zero tolerance for those who use it incorrectly.

The semicolon at the end of the line suggests that there is more to the story of Milly untold, and that the rest of the story is up to the reader’s imagination. “The semicolon is sometimes described as stronger than a comma but weaker than a period” (Penn). The reason it is described as weaker than a period, is because it symbolizes less finality, as the sentence does not end when there is a semicolon, it continues a little further before ending. The inability of a semicolon to end the line reflects that the couplet is not completely exposed to conventions, and is still free from its mechanic form. This shows that Milly is still not entirely exposed to conventions that will dominate her life through rules. However, the fact that a semicolon

It isn't bold like the exclamation mark or straightforward like the period, but the semicolon is more than just the eyes of your smiley. It's a subtle form of punctuation, but it does not have to be difficult. The main purpose of a semicolon is to join two complete and similar sentences. When two thoughts are tied strongly to one another, you may find a period too great a separation. Using a semicolon visibly increases the link between these thoughts.

During the course of English Comp 1, I discovered my ultimate weakness: commas. Before I took the course, I did not realize how horrendous I was with punctuation in general, but more specifically, commas. After Mrs. Menetre graded my first paper, it soon became obvious that I needed to learn a great deal about commas in a short amount

In the article, “Does Punctuation in Text Messages Matter?”, by Shannon Doyne, proclaims that the way people use punctuation in texting and emails is harming people and the world. Her views of how proper punctuation is important is strongly disagreeable because it matters more on what the message means rather than the punctuation. Shannon argues, “Recently, a friend I had dinner plans with sent a text to ask ‘what time’ … And yet the question… felt indifferent, almost cold. Couldn’t she at least bother to insert the necessary character?”(Shannon) Most people would have no problem with the text because it is getting the message clear telling what time as in dinner. The fact that she sent “A half-dozen emails back and forth,”(Shannon) means that her friend is obviously comfortable with her conversations, not trying to be mean. Later on in the article, Shannon points out, “Instead of responding to a text with ‘Can’t wait!!’ I’ll insert a space or two before the mark ‘Can’t wait !!’ … Sometimes I’ll make the exclamation point a parenthetical, as a kind of after thought.”(Shannon) It really does not matter that

We read so we can remember. We write so we can remember. In his essay Foer writes, “The brain is always making mistakes, forgetting, misremembering, writing is how we overcome those essential biological constraints.” (Foer 161) Foer provides us with this statement to elaborate on how essential writing is to learning and remembering. Writing was very different than it is now. Spaces where not even used, the early form of writing, scriptio continua, was broken up by neither spaces nor punctuation. Foer would describe scriptio continua, “Where one word ends and another begins is a relatively arbitrary linguistic convention.” (Foer 163) Since scriptio continua was one long drawn out string of sounds it was hardly, if ever, read silently. With no punctuation the relationship between reading and writing played a much different role then it does today. Reading this type of text required the reader to already be familiar with what he or she wanted to stay. The reader had to memorize the text. By extension, reading is no different today. If we read, we must first have an understanding of what it is that we are reading. Understanding has become much easier to achieve due to advances in the organization of

There is an abundance of syntax throughout the novel, and it is best used when accompanied by another literary element. To add, the syntax would usually come in the form of a rhetorical device or emphasized through the use of a parenthetical phrase. One such instance was when Ramos was discussing the injustices of racism with Spike Lee. In the interview, Ramos asked about the possibility of a post-racial society, as to which Lee skeptically and critically responded that as of right now, a post-racial world isn’t in effect and that there were “a lot of people who [mistakenly] believed that when [President Obama] put his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible and did the oath, that hocus-pocus, abracadabra, poof, we were in a post-racial world,”(227). Although the sentence is somewhat dominated by diction, the syntax that is used to list out “hocus-pocus”, “abracadabra”, and “poof” adds emphasis to the sarcastic tone that Lee is conveying throughout the passage, as well as highlight how the world is still in need of a change for the betterment of society.

I get seething mad when I see someone put a comma outside a quotation mark. Or use single quotes instead of double quotes. Or use two hyphens instead of an em-dash. By "mad" I mean pick up my iPad to fling it across the room—then put it down, slowly, while breathing deep. If it’s a student’s work, a grade gets lowered.

For example,”How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily-how calmly I can tell you the whole story.”(Poe 354). This quote consists of a great deal of punctuation, which portrays the main character as jumpy and creates suspense.

After reading “Semicolons: A Love Story” by Ben Dolnick, my view and knowledge of semicolons changed. The first thing I learned is that I had no idea someone could write about punctuation by telling a story and relating it to personal experiences. For example, the author begins the article talking about when he was a teenager that he did not pay much attention to semicolons. Over time the author started noticing and was fascinated with how these semicolons were used as well as how he could use them in his own writing. Another thing that I learned was the definition of a semicolon. The author states “a semicolon is used to separate parts of a sentence that need a more distinct break that a comma can signal, but that are too closely connected

semicolon. A semicolon “ tells you that there is … some questions about… preceding full

5. One question I have about writing is about the mechanics. It is when is the right time to use a semi colon and and a colon.

The purpose of creating this poster was because of a new series featuring punctuation symbols and having each symbol assigned to a graphic designer, Stefan Sagmeister was assigned the apostrophe.

cummings’ unique style of punctuation plays a role in creating an image of Buffalo Bill for the reader. When describing Buffalo Bill’s actions in his western show cummings’ uses varied punctuation to emphasize the performance:

Semicolons. Your semicolon use in this case was acceptable. First check is to make sure that the first and second part could be stand alone sentences. Everyone knows not to start a sentence with 'and' or 'but'. This is where the semicolon really shines. If you want to add a supporting