Skip to main content

The Supposedly Elusive Semicolon

If you’ve got more than five semicolons in your opening chapter, I can guarantee you are using them wrong. No need to worry though. Delete all of them. Yes, all. Then put back in the four or five that were actually needed (and that’s per book, not chapter).

Here’s a quick test for you. Do you know which of these needs a semicolon?
1) I ran to the door; keys in my hand.
2) I ran to the door; keys jingling as I went.
3) I ran to the door; I didn’t want anyone else to answer it.
4) I ran to the door; I answered it.

Sentences 1 and 2 should have commas instead. Semicolons are used to join two completed sentences. If either of your sentences can’t stand alone as an independent sentence, then you shouldn’t use a semicolon.

Sentence 4 is wrong for an entirely different reason. Semicolons can make a writer feel powerful. We think we’re being exciting and dramatic; readers think we’re pretentious. If nothing is implied, then nothing is added by having the punctuation there.

Once using them correctly, try not to use them at all. Any more than four per chapter stands out like a coke bottle on a lemonade shelf. The only time you should use one is when removing it changes the meaning of the sentence.

The dog ran. He was hungry. // The dog ran; he was hungry.

The first doesn’t necessarily imply that the reason the dog ran was due to his hunger. Well it does a little bit because of the proximity, but using a semicolon gets rid of any uncertainty you may hold about the dog’s motives. The second uses a structure that implies more of a link. The second means the dog ran because he was hungry, and it’s written in a quick, straightforward way.

4) I ran to the door; I answered it.

You probably shouldn’t use a semicolon here as there’s nothing extra being implied.

You might throw one in to sound more dramatic, but it’s a bit like someone going ‘Dun Dun DUHHHHHN!’ behind you as you read. It’s melodramatic, unnecessary – tempting – but shows that you don’t really understand what the punctuation is for.

Punctuation isn’t a device for when you want to sound dramatic. Often a dramatic line will have so much weight that punctuation only softens it.

So if you're a semicolon lover, try to avoid using too many. The only time you should use them is when the sentence corners you and puts a gun to your head – metaphorically of course.

Cheers for reading!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Your Best Character: Quiz and Contest

The best characters are put through hell and yet can still carry the story forward on their broken shoulders. Your plot will fall flat if your characters are one dimensional and strong characters can make a cliché story really shine; characterisation takes work and thought. The key to character development is to ask questions. Maybe spend time thinking about the scenarios that have happened to your character which won’t make the final cut of the novel. The questions below are designed to test that (to some degree). [NOW CLOSED, REVIEWS PENDING] Answer at least 5 of these in a comment with a link to your story and I’ll give you an in-depth review. Reviews are approximately 1000 words and take me well over an hour, so if you’re looking to polish up your manuscript then don’t miss out. Also, the opening chapter with the most interesting and well-developed character will be featured on this blog! Feel free to write about anyone as long as they feature in the same story. You can ans...

Book Review: Children of Blood and Bone

CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi 5 Stars Verdict: So good it hurts. The night magic died, Zélie watched her mother's murder as the Maji were slaughtered. Now Zélie has a chance to bring back magic. With the help of her brother and a rogue princess, she must outrun the crown prince and battle her self-doubts to restore magic to the world. This West-African inspired fantasy is powerful and all round awesome from start to finish. The writing is emotive and imaginative, the pacing is as perfect as it gets, and the characters are real with flaws and charm. I hardly know what to say. A brilliant book like this tells the editor in me to shut up and enjoy the ride, so I'd need to read it again to offer more of a critique. If every book was as good as this one, I would never be able to stop reading. The struggles, anger, and pain are carved into this book so deeply that the desires bleed through the pages and the triumphs feel earned. The emotion in this book is ...

Book Review: The Astonishing Colour of After

THE ASTONISHING COLOUR OF AFTER by Emily X.R. Pan 4 Stars Verdict : A synesthesiastic tale of dealing with loss. When Leigh's mother commits suicide, she visits Leigh as a bright red bird. Leigh follows her mother's memories to Taiwan to meet her grandparents for the first time and to try to understand her mother's passing. For a book so sad, it's very colourful. Leigh often shares her emotions as colours and it works very well, especially as the book travels through a whole river of emotions. It shows a battle lost, families broken, and the dark struggles of depression through the lives of Leigh and her family. To anyone affected by depression and suicide, this book contains those triggers. I felt it handled these themes with tender care and respect, without glamorising suicide or mental illness. The author also went to great lengths to portray a single instance of depression, and even clarifies at the end note that the story isn't mean to explain away d...