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February 20, 2008Semicolon CelebrationYou lovers of language will enjoy this piece by neo-neocon who is celebrating the semicolon:
She’s referencing this NY Times article about a subway ad featuring the noble semi:
I got turned on to the semicolon while reading John Irving’s The World According to Garp, wherein Ellen James writes a note to Garp - something like, “I remember [the event]; I remember it the way I remember my tongue,” and Garp, appreciating the sentiment, also takes a moment to appreciate Ellen’s use of “the good old semicolon.” I thought, hmmmm…semicolon…now, why haven’t I been using that thing? My Catholic elementary school had clearly covered it, but I knew I’d been neglecting to punch it up. Once started, I could not stop; it is such a perfectly placed breath-for-emphasis between connected thoughts. Example: [Rush] came back from break with another “song parody” about his McCain obsession and I turned it off, because he has nothing new to say, and he’s not going to give me a positive reason to vote for Romney; this speaks volumes to me. I join neo-neocon in appreciation of the semicolon, and I urge its increased usage! Between love and madness lies obsession; between commas and colons lie semicolons. Perhaps our intentional use of the darling thing will help keep the synapses firing a bit longer and prevent us from sounding like Noam Chomsky in the Times article, who - asked to opine on the subject of semi’s - remarked (or, as the Times wrote it, “sniffed,”) “I suppose Bush would claim it’s the effect of No Child Left Behind.” That remark, by the way, would be called a perfect non sequitur. Ask a man about the musty dust of elevated punctuation and he - fried by a strain of Bush Derangement Syndrome that creates U-turns out of cogent thought - cannot follow; all he can do is double-back. The good old semicolon; long may it give pause. WELCOME: Instapundit readers (and thanks Instaguest blogger Ann Althouse, for the link!). Server problems kept me from working most of the day, but I did manage to post a thought for the day that includes some Brian Eno music! And if you think you belong, you’re invited into the crucible! http://theanchoressonline.com/2008/02/20/semicolon-celebration/trackback/ 10 Responses to “Semicolon Celebration” |
February 20th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Hey! Someone else who appreciates the semicolon. Great post, Anchoress.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:14 am
My very first essay at Columbia University came back with the incredibly stupid admonition to minimize my use of semi-colons, and in fact try not to use them at all, as they were “jarring” for the reader.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:45 am
How Funny; The Anchoress Loves Semicolons….
And so do I. We’re both in Neocon’s club. My affection for semicolons has led to complaints in the past, from other bloggers who felt that I truly abused these handy little punctuation marks. They are wrong, though—my real vice……
February 21st, 2008 at 4:45 am
The great W. Somerset Maugham wrote a satirical short story, The Creative Impulse, about a high-literary writer who had mastered “the humor of punctuation.” No one had ever managed to squeeze as much good clean fun out of a semicolon as she! But eventually, she tired of it and moved on to the colon.
Also read Lynne Truss’s wonderful tract Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, for more puncutation-based humor (and general edification).
February 21st, 2008 at 8:21 am
The judicious use of a semicolon can save what would be a run on sentence from the ignomy of being failed grammar; it marshals and organizes the traffic of words.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:29 am
Shhhhhh. Don’t tell everyone or those of us who revel in unusual but proper grammar will loose yet another tool of mystique.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I used to get major props from my college English prof (may he rest in peace) for using semi-colons correctly. It’s my favorite punctuation mark.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Let’s not forget about the dash and the colon. I once had a teacher give me advice for using the less common punctuation. She said, “Just use them occasionally and you’ll get a feel for them.” It was sound advice both because I started to look for opportunities (although I no doubt used some badly on the way) and because I started to notice the effect created when reading good writers.
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 am
subman;
your next step is to appreciate spelling and learn to avoid malaprops. “Loose” means untie as a verb, or “slack” as an adjective. Rhymes with “goose”. “Lose” refers to loss of possession or failure to win. Rhymes with ruse.
Sovieron;
my verbally twisty brain suddenly wondered, reading your post, if the Soviets and Brits would be considered colon-izers and the Americans semi-colon-izers. What say you? (Be polite, please! Or not.)
February 26th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
In England they have the APS. The Apostrophe Protection Society. Read the witty little tutorial on the abuse of punctuation marks in “Eats, shoots and leaves.
Ray Smith