I really like the semicolon; I use it frequently.
Ever since I started studying philosophy in college I have written pretty regularly. The whole time I have been wondering if I am using semicolons correctly.
In English, the semicolon has two main purposes:
- It binds two sentences more closely than they would be if separated by a full stop/period. It often replaces a conjunction such as and or but. Writers might consider this appropriate where they are trying to indicate a close relationship between two sentences, or a ‘run-on’ in meaning from one to the next; they don’t wish the connection to be broken by the abrupt use of a full-stop.
- It is used as a stronger division than a comma, or a “super comma” to make meaning clear in a sentence where commas are already being used for other purposes. A common example of this use is to separate the items of a list when some of the items themselves contain commas.
I think I have been using it correctly. I wonder why more bloggers don’t use the semicolon more frequently? I think with many little post-sentence after thoughts; do they not think the same way I do?
