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Honoring the Semicolon
- 04/30/08
- 19
I guess it is about time the semicolon got its due. Here’s a little excerpt of a book I ran across recently. It is written by Lewis Thomas (whoever that is or was…):
I have grown fond of semicolons in recent years. The semicolon tells you that there is still some question about the preceding full sentence; something needs to be added; it reminds you sometimes of the Greek usage. It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a semicolon than a period. The period tells you that that is that; if you didn’t get all the meaning you wanted or expected, anyway you got all the writer intended to parcel out and now you have to move along. But with a semicolon there you get a pleasant little feeling of expectancy; there is more to come; read on; it will get clearer.
I will also include Thomas’ thoughts on the ever-annoying exclamation mark. I do so for the benefit of my friends David and Paul who have had discussions about this very topic. In fact, David sought out Paul at Together for the Gospel precisely so he could meet him and tell him to stop using so many of them. I think Thomas would be on your side, David!!!
Exclamation points are the most irritating of all. Look! they say, look at what I just said! How amazing is my thought! It is like being forced to watch someone else’s small child jumping up and down crazily in the center of the living room shouting to attract attention. If a sentence really has something of importance to say, something quite remarkable, it doesn’t need a mark to point it out. And if it is really, after all, a banal sentence needing more zing, the exclamation point simply emphasizes its banality!
You can read the rest of Thomas’ thoughts on punctuation here.
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Comments (19)
One of the first comments I got on a research paper in seminary was “You use too many semicolons.” I laughed in derision; I knew the poor professor probably just didn’t realize how glorious the semicolon really is.
Lewis Thomas was (yes, he died in ‘93) a medical doctor who was a brilliant essayist. My favorite collection of his essays is “The Medusa and the Snail.” Sadly, he was not a believer. But I heartily recommend his essays. He saw biology and nature and medicine through truly unique eyes.
Another fine essayist/medical doctor is the surgeon, Richard Selzer (read “The Exact Location of the Soul”).
If you like the semicolon, then you have to love G.K. Chesterton. One venerable example:
“What we suffer from to-day is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed.”
I am so glad that someone finally has put into words what I have been thinking all along about the exclamation point. It is so annoyingly overused! Finally some sanity!
Oh, I love the semi-colon. I mean, “Oh, I love the semi-colon!”
I once read “Every time you’re tempted to use an exclamation point, consider if the reaction you’re going for is ‘boing’.”
So now, among my closest friends, I say “boing” when I’m excited about something: “I can’t wait for the show tonight. Boing.”
Yes; would that Paul (the pastor, not the apostle) would take this to heart!
Amen.
I too love the semicolon; sadly, it seems to be disappearing from usage. See this story on the fate of the semicolon:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/04/france.britishidentity
I’ve often thought that my overuse of the semicolon was annoying; now I understand that just the opposite is true! Yippee!!!
Tom, I agree with you that Chesterton and the semicolon go hand in hand; I equally love them both.
Hilarious!
The unnecessary overuse of commas and quotation marks are also annoying… although I think I’ve been guilty.
“What we suffer from to-day is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the semi-colon following the word “conviction” misused? As I understand it, everything that follows a semi-colon is to be a complete sentence, and I’m not sure about “where it was never meant to be.” A better phrase might have been, “it was never meant to be there.” Thoughts?
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the semi-colon following the word ‘conviction’ misused? As I understand it, everything that follows a semi-colon is to be a complete sentence, and I’m not sure about’where it was never meant to be.’ A better phrase might have been, ‘it was never meant to be there.’ Thoughts?”
I agree, Casey. That should have been a comma, or the wording should have been different.
Yes, the semi-colon in the Chesterton quote is not correct. An em dash, maybe; a comma seems best.
I agree, semi-colons are excellent.
semicolon!!!!!!!!!!!
i see comma splices as well as comma overuse all the time. the propagation of the semicolon would amend these ills.
of course, as much as i love punctuation, i obviously am not a fan of capitalization. but i am definitely going to say ‘boing’ to orally punctuate FROM NOW ON.
What!!!
Stop using the glorious exclamation point?!?!!!!!!
The mark of true joy that ought to characterize every believer?!?!!!!
Perish the thought! Strike it from memory! Banish it forever!!!!!
Why, everything (!) I write is just so full of glorious happiness that mere banal letters arranged into words cannot possibly communicate my joy!! Long live the exclamation mark!!!!
Vive le mark d’explanation!!!
![insert Spanish here]!
David, although a very nice man, has no idea what he is talking about. [Note the sudden change of tone communicated by the bland little period…]
!
(in case I missed any)
There’s that “small child jumping up and down crazily in the center of the living room shouting to attract attention.” Would someone please call his mother?
Thought I’d weigh in here to say there is one aspect of semicolonic (?!) usage that doesn’t require a complete sentence following the semicolon:
A semicolon is used to state parts in a series: “The Russian Club officers for the next academic year are: Jason Markowicz, President; Martha Beach, Vice-President; Althea Richardson, Secretary; Paul Czyz, Treasurer; and Tim Challies, interested observer.”
Taken from A Writer’s Guide to Perfect Punctuation by Victor Pellegrino (except for the last bit, of course).
Know what annoys me more than a bunch of exclamation points????
A bunch of question marks!!!!
;)