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13633742 No.13633742 [Reply] [Original]

How do I use a semicolon correctly? I can only seem to use it right when I feel like it belongs in the sentence.

>> No.13633759

>>13633742
Put it up your asshole

>> No.13633760

i'm addicted to it in my writing

>> No.13633772

>>13633742
I don't know how to use these fuckers.

>> No.13633782

>>13633742
separate clauses that are related enough to share the same sentence

>> No.13633825

I was thinking about the semicolon a few days ago. Specifically: it is called a "semi"colon despite the fact that it takes more ink to print than an ordinary colon. This leads to an interesting parallel: the large intestine (also known as the colon) is in fact much shorter and less massive than the small intestine. So the colon and the colon share a bit more than the same name; they share a similar relationship with their larger yet nominally smaller counterpart.

>> No.13633870

>>13633742
Where you could have put a . but chose not to; it’s fairly simple

I like semikolons; they’re the best!

>> No.13633883

>>13633825
I like autists like you

>> No.13633907

It means a Deberé pause but not change of idea And phrase; for the last one use a dot.

>> No.13633925

>>13633742
It's quite easy ;)

>> No.13634416

>>13633742
its for doing some cool emojis
(;o;)

(;>_<;)

w(:_;)w

(;´ρ`)

(T_T;)

>> No.13634427

>>13633742
A good rule of thumb -- which however doesn't account for all possible cases -- is when you are able to use the phrase "that is to say".

>> No.13634430

>>13634416
ｷﾀ━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━!!

>> No.13634434

just use an em dash — — — —
the only appropriate usage of a semicolon is to separate a list of items containing commas

>> No.13634623

>>13634434
nah you'll never be a great writer if you don't get the feel of the difference between both

>> No.13634628

>>13634434
em dashes and semicolons are not interchangeable. I don't even know where you got that idea.

>> No.13634649

>>13634628
>>13634623
they're not interchangeable, but people use them (and over-use commas) to get across their speech patterns which is a lot easier done with an em-dash

>> No.13634661

>>13634649
nigga just learn to use both and you'll be able to reproduce more sophisticated speech patterns instead of applying the truncated version you advocate for

>> No.13634664

>>13634649
I think of an em-dash mostly as an aside in a course of thought, something like a bracketed statement but better integrated. Whereas a semicolon would be something providing further clarification of a sentence; even more integrated than the em dash.

>> No.13634674

>>13634664
this is the correct basic gist

>> No.13634700
File: 62 KB, 600x446, cover-wind-up-bird-chronicle.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13634700

I came home thinking about it and here is a thread.
First, sorry for hijacking the thread.
I'm reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle now, but my previously book was Ficciones by Borges. In the Murakami book I noticed the completely lack of semicolons while it was common in Ficciones (what makes sense with those giant paragraphs). My question is, does the semicolon exist in the Japanese language? Maybe Murakami decided to use a more modern language and cut it out or the translator was dumb.

>> No.13634717

>>13634700
Basically I learned all the subtleties of the semicolon by reading Borges (in spanish).

>> No.13634802

>>13634717
I couldn't because I'm retarded.

>> No.13634840

>>13633772
You can use a semicolon wherever you want to link two closely related independent clauses. The semicolon takes the place of a conjunction. They are used primarily in this context for stylistic reasons. It is often used like an em dash, but is considered more formal.

Ex.
>Dad is going bald; his hair is getting thinner and thinner.
Takes the place of the word because
>You should stop eating so much food; you will have to go on a diet.
Again, because
>Star Trek was my favorite television show during the 1960s; in fact, it is my favorite television show of all time.
Fills in for and
>I had a huge meal; however, I am already hungry again.
Fills for although

>> No.13634857

>>13633782

ESPECIALLY when breaking the two thoughts into separate sentences is more awkward (I am also addressing the OP).

>> No.13634898

>>13634840
is it wrong to merely use commas in those cases?

>> No.13634951

>>13634898
I'm not the anon you're replying.
The semicolon in these phrases gives the idea of cause.

>> No.13634981

I usually shove it up your sister's ass; she's become quite fond of it after watching me do it to your mother.

>> No.13634986

>>13634898
using a comma to connect two independent clauses (i.e. in the place of a semi-colon or a period) constitutes a run-on

>> No.13634996

>>13634986
But I feel like I've seen a lot of very good writers make very long and complicated sentences without much use of fancy punctuation. Isn't there like a meme about how Mccarthy eschews all punctuation besides the period and comma?

>> No.13635000

>>13634700
>does the semicolon exist in the Japanese language?
I don't think so.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_punctuation

>> No.13635024

Any non-meme english style books? Especially punctuation

>> No.13635026

>>13635000
>use musical notes to indicate a sung passage

Now that's what I call Kawaii

>> No.13635034

>>13633825
A true old-school intellectual.

>> No.13635076

>>13633742
it can be used to replace a conjunction like "as" "because" "for" etc.
>i like spicy food; it makes eating fun.
the "it" at the beginning of the second clause borrows the object (spicy food) from the first clause.
>i like spicy food because it makes eating fun.
is equivalent.

>> No.13635091

>>13634664
I see your point, but also that semicolon would absolutely be better as an em-dash.

>> No.13635101

(independent clause); (independent clause).

OR

(Independent clause); (however/furthermore/etc.), (Independent clause).

>> No.13635128

There's no reason to use semi-colons to connect two independent clauses. They can always be replaced with a period and no one will bat an eye. See those previous two sentences? I could have put a semi-colon there. I didn't. Know why? Because no one needs to have it pointed out to them that two sentences are connected thoughts in some way. All sentences are interconnected when they're in the same paragraph. Therefore the use of a semi-colon is completely redunant. That said, they're very useful if you want to write something that's a page long and is technically a sentence.

>> No.13635131

Theodor Haecker was rightfully alarmed by the fact that the semicolon is dying out; this told him that no one can write a period [sentence containing several balanced clauses] any more. Part of this incapacity is the fear of page-long paragraphs, a fear created by the marketplace–by the consumer who does not want to tax himself and to whom first editors and then writers accommodated for the sake of their incomes, until finally they invented ideologies for their own accommodation like lucidity, objectivity, and concise precision. Language and subject matter cannot be kept separate in this process. The sac rifice of the period leaves the idea short of breath. Prose is reduced to the "protocol sentence," the darling of the logical positivists, to a mere recording of facts, and when syntax and punctuation relinquish the right to articulate and shape the facts, to critique them, language is getting ready to capitulate to what merely exists, even before thought has time to perform this capitulation eagerly on its own for the second time. It starts with the loss of the semicolon; it ends with the ratification of imbecility by a reasonableness purged of all admixtures.

>> No.13635175

I'm convinced that semicolons were invented by people who kept wanting to use commas where it would technically be a comma splice, so they invented a symbol that looked similar to sorta get away with it. I often find that trying to use a comma in a sentence doesn't work; the semicolon saves the day.

>> No.13635184

>>13635128
You're underestimating the effect a semicolon has on the emphasis of a sentence. Properly used, one can communicate specific nuances through punctuation choice. Consider the following:
I knew she loved me dearly; it was only a matter of time before we were together again.
I knew she loved me dearly. It was only a matter of time before we were together again.

>> No.13635408

>>13634857
It doesn't seem like a semi colon is ever necessary.

>> No.13635457

>>13635000
Thank you.

>> No.13635467

Is this correct?
The anon--who had yet to reveal his true identity--shitposted in a variety of threads; never bothering to think about applying for jobs.

>> No.13635507

>>13634416
>calling emotions emojis
I want Zoomer filth to leave this board immediately.

>> No.13635527

>>13633759
Outstanding work /lit.

/thread

>> No.13635534

>>13635184
Fair point. One emphasizes one will happen because of the other while the other sentence is more ambiguous. Like perhaps the pov is thinking he could embrace her affections when they're next guaranteed to meet for unrelated reasons.

>> No.13635584

>>13635467
I'd do something like this.
The anon--who had yet to reveal his true identity--shitposted in a variety of threads, never bothering to think about applying for jobs; janny seethed.

>> No.13635791

>>13633742
This belongs in /g/

>> No.13636288

Using a semicolon isn't very hard op; as far as I know, you just use it for the connection of two closely related sentences.

>> No.13636441

>>13635791
I don't get whatever joke you're trying to make. Is the semicolon used a lot in coding?

>> No.13636464

>>13633742
Like this:
I feel that you can dance; however, Sophia doesn't feel the same.

>> No.13636479

Four uses:
1. When you are connecting two sentences which basically follow one thought and you feel that a pause is better than a coordinating conjunction or a period.
2. Separate enumerated numbers.
3. Before conjunctive adverbs.
4. An edgy tattoo

>> No.13637661

>>13635000
Interesting.
Nice digits.

>> No.13637666

I'm a sick fuck; I like a quick fuck

>> No.13637678

>>13636441
In most popular languages a semicolon denotes the end of a line

>> No.13637945

>>13633825
fascinating

>> No.13638133

>>13633825
Great.

>> No.13639083

>check some texts in English about the semicolon
>tons of examples
>simple and direct language to explain when and how to use it
>check about the usage of semicolon in my language
>I don't know the meaning of half of the words in the explanation and the writer clearly used archaic words to make it difficult
You know, I see why Mao did what he did.

>> No.13639332

>>13633742
when its half period half comma

>> No.13639391
File: 52 KB, 664x443, 179fbe0a87f3f7e0ad087a8fb57cb7fed4f418ba5da4bc4f896e07b7382f215d.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13639391

>>13637666