“She can't help it,” he said.

Hi, I'm Johnny Knoxville and welcome to Jackass— Wait, that's not right. Heyo, Tess here, and this is my writing journal, where I post guides and essays on my experiences in and opinions on writing. If you're interested in that kind of content, it sure would be neat if you added me for updates!

I'd like to take a moment to say a few things before we get started: You don't have to agree with everything I say, and I don't want you to feel like I'm judging you if you do the opposite of what I personally think is "best" in writing. Writing is a subjective experience, both for the writer and the reader, and while my goal here is to potentially help you learn some new tips and methods, it's never with the intention of making you feel bad about your style or habits. It's solely for the purpose of helping out.

I'm not an authority on anything, much less writing—and the thing is: No one else is, either. That's why you see so many writing essays and guides around the internet, and a lot of them are wildly different from each other. Subjectivity!

The rules of grammar and punctuation, caveats though they may have, typically don't change too often, and I'll do my best to explain things like that in a way that doesn't sound like the most boring English teacher you've ever had. I want the information to be accessible and intuitively understandable. I feel like the best way to retain new skills is to see them in use. I don't know everything, but the areas I feel confident in, I'll try not to steer you wrong.

Enjoy, and don't be shy if you have questions or things you'd like to see written up. Don't forget to check out ohdeers for RP-driven essays!

Using Semicolons

Something I get told a lot whenever semicolons come up in conversation (usually when I'm expressing my undying love for them) is, "I can never figure out how to use them." As an avid fan of semicolons, I'm here to try to clear up the mystery for those of you who aren't sure how to use them, and to encourage you to start incorporating them into your writing to achieve a more nuanced flow to your style.

What is a semicolon?

I like to explain a semicolon as being something like a soft period. It's more firm than a comma, but not as final as starting a new statement, because the statements the semicolon is separating are related. It often takes the place of conjunctions like "and" because it does the same thing in some contexts. Conjunctions are used to connect or coordinate two statements. These are: and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet.

You're typically going to want to view this as an either/or situation. Either you're going to use a semicolon, or you're going to use a conjunction. There are a couple of caveats to this, but we'll get to that later.

The semicolon or semi-colon is a symbol commonly used as orthographic punctuation. In the English language, a semicolon can be used between two closely related independent clauses, provided they are not already joined by a coordinating conjunction.

[Wikipedia]

Semicolons aren't just for eliminating conjunctions to connect two related clauses, though, so I'd like to go over some of the uses for semicolons as we go forward in this guide.

How and when do you use it?

A semicolon is, of course, not one size fits all. "Are you going to the store first; the library?" does technically make sense, but may be better served with "or" instead of a semicolon. If it sounds like a word is missing and it's not for intentional dialogue purposes, you'll want to stick with a conjunction. Writing depends on a good flow to read well, which is why some of the "rules" of writing seem to change depending on context. Some things are incorrect no matter what, while others are subjective.

After six months back on the job, he probably didn't need to remind himself every time; he did it anyway, just in case.

[my writing partner in the first semicolon I could find]

Here, my writing partner is replacing the word "but" in their sentence. Conjunctions can read as clunky or amateur in some cases because your compound clauses start relying on too many commas, and a semicolon just feels nicer; other times, your conjunction is what fits best.

"So we're starting from scratch," [he] said. That wasn't a problem; it meant he wasn't trying to fix someone else's shoddy job.

[my writing partner]

This example isn't necessarily omitting a conjunction, but it is connecting two related clauses with a longer pause than a comma while not ending the statement the way a period would. My writing partner is expressing two thoughts for their character here: that it isn't a problem for the character, and why it isn't a problem for him. They're closely related enough that a semicolon does the job just a little bit better than a period would, eliminating the risk of choppy, curt sentence structure—unless that's what you're going for, of course.

Using semicolons for descriptive lists

We're used to using commas to separate list items. Milk, eggs, bread, and tea are all things we might need from the store. That being said, sometimes a semicolon can be appropriate! If your list of items is wordier, say the things being listed are more abstract or complex thoughts, you may benefit from a semicolon instead—especially if you need a comma within the listed phrases.

She loved the way she felt when he looked at her; how his presence warmed her, even when it was a quiet one; the way he understood what she was trying to say, even when she hadn't said much at all.

[on the fly example]

Most of the above clauses are complex in nature, meaning they need their own commas, and using commas to separate each clause would confuse the natural flow considerably. Using semicolons to separate related clauses, and commas for pauses in each clause for appropriate pauses, clears up just where one ends and the next begins. You could use periods to separate these thoughts, but to avoid fragmented sentences you'd need unnecessary wordiness where the semicolons would have served you better. (In my opinion.)

Can you use semicolons and conjunctions at the same time?

Some people say no; I say yes. Most of the time I don't think it's needed, but in some cases (complex compound sentences like the previous example), the context might be better served with a conjunction after the last semicolon in the sentence.

"Moving along," he said, walking quickly as he launched into his explanation. "On the first floor you'll find your bunks, the mess hall, and rec areas; the second floor is dedicated to our training rooms, state of the art, of course; the third floor is Research & Development; and the basement is restricted to full clearance personnel only."

[on the fly example]

This is admittedly a little clunky, and I could definitely opt to write this with shorter sentences instead if preferred, but it's still an example where a semicolon can coexist next to a conjunction.

Well, I guess that's it for me on this one! I hope you walk away from this guide with a better understanding of semicolons, and more confidence using them in your writing. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to comment!

UPDATED: June 16, 2020[broke list into sections for ease of use; added upcoming word explanations]