I had no idea just how popular my post on commas would be last week! If you missed it and would like to have a look you can find it here.
In your comments here on my blog, on Twitter and on Facebook, several of you mentioned that the incorrect use of the semi-colon (or semicolon) was something that irritated you. For me, it's not so much the incorrect use of the semi-colon but the use of a comma when a semi-colon should be used.
If you're confused by these fiddly punctuation marks, you're in good company. Most people find them the trickiest to master. My year six class certainly did and, if they moved on to secondary school with an understanding of them, I'd give myself a little pat on the back.
"Just put one in your SATS writing task," I'd beg. "The marker of your paper will think you're a genius!"
So what is a semi-colon?
Basically, it's a type of pause - longer than a comma but not as long as a full stop.
There are two reasons why you would use a semi-colon.
LISTS
This is the simplest use of the semi-colon. Usually, you'd use a comma to separate items in a list but what if the list is more complicated? More descriptive? This is when you'd use semi-colons.
Example:
(simple list) In my bag is a pen, comb, a receipt and a purse.
(more detailed list) In my bag is a red pen with a missing lid; a comb with no teeth; a receipt for a coffee and a beaded purse with no money in it.
Easy peasy!
A SEMI-COLON IN PLACE OF A FULL STOP
This is a little harder to explain but bear with me. Many writers make the mistake of using a comma to join two complete sentences. DON'T! This is the dreaded comma splice and, if I see you use it, I will shout SPLICE at you very loudly (something I made my year six children do if they identified one in a list of sentences I'd written on the board).
Look at these two sentences.
The boy pushed open the window.
He climbed in.
We could write them as two separate sentences using full stops.
The boy pushed open the window. He climbed in.
There's nothing wrong with this but, if you look closely, you'll notice that the two sentences are closely linked. The first is about the window being opened and the second is about the boy climbing through it. Because of this, it would be more powerful to link the sentences together with a semi-colon.
The boy pushed open the window; he climbed in. (note: no capital letter is used after the semi-colon.)
So, to recap. They must be two complete sentences and they must be linked by theme or topic to each other if a semi-colon is to be used.
What you MUSTN'T do (sorry to shout again) is use a comma! A comma can only join a sentence with a part of a sentence. If you try to join two complete sentences with a comma, it is a comma splice... arggg! Stand outside my door!
To finish, which one of these sentences is correct?
a) Bonnie is a bad dog; she likes to chase other dogs.
b) My cat is very old, he sleeps most of the day.
c) My husband is good at fixing things; if they're broken.
d) I can hear traffic outside my window; I'm going to the cinema.
P.S If you say b I might never speak to you again!
The semi-colon is, sadly I feel, going out of fashion. do you ever use it?
Once upon a time, I was an English teacher in a primary school but I expect you already know that. It was a subject I loved and I hope I taught the children well.
Although it was a private school, we followed the National Curriculum and I like to think that, by the time they left in year 6, most of the kids had a pretty good grasp of the fundamentals of reading and writing.
Some of the elements I had to teach amuse me now. I remember how, in the Key Stage 1 SATS writing tasks, extra marks could be gained by using three adjectives in a row or a plethora of adverbs. Things they would have to unlearn if any went on to become authors! Oh, well.
Somewhat surprisingly, it was punctuation that I really loved teaching in the English lessons. I taught every year group and it was rewarding to know that the child who was about to leave the school in Year 6, knowing how to use a semi-colon, was the same one I'd taught to use a full stop in Year 2.
There was something I had a real bee in my bonnet about though. COMMAS.
A little while ago, I met an old pupil of mine. She was now sixteen but told me she still had my voice in her head whenever she did any writing. I asked her why and she told me it was because to teach sentences with two parts, I used to write a sentence on the board and read it out saying the word comma when I came to the symbol.
When evening came, the moon started to rise.
When evening came comma the moon started to rise.
After reading it, I would then get the children to make up their own sentences and say them in the same way.
She then said, "Do you remember that lesson called, Cut it Out?"
I did. It was to help them to learn how to use two commas to separate a piece of information in the middle of a sentence. I'd write sentences on the board and then get the kids to shout, "Cut it out!" if the sentence made sense without the part enclosed by the commas. If it did, the sentence was properly punctuated.
This is a sentence that would have the children saying the magic words:
I left the house and, realising I was late, took the short cut.
If you cut out 'realising I was late', the sentence still makes sense. Which is why I've been surprised to read sentences punctuated like the one below in novels:
I left the house, and realising I was late, took the short cut. If you cut out 'and realising I was late', the sentence does not make sense.
It was happening so frequently (in traditionally published novels) that I was beginning to doubt myself. How happy I was then to turn to the 'On Writing' column in the March edition of Writing Magazine and find that writing tutor, Tony Rossiter, had covered this exact subject. With relief, I read the paragraph where he explains that it must always be possible to remove the information between two commas without damaging the sentence. He then uses an example just like mine. Phew - thanks Tony, for saving my sanity.
He also mentions the use of two sentences joined together with a comma instead of a semi-colon - the dreaded comma splice.
It might be better not to get me started on that one!
Do you have any bees in your bonnet about punctuation?
I've been thinking a lot about proofreading recently. This is because I have been getting my short story collection, Room in Your Heart, ready for publication next week. Considering my stories have all been published in national magazines, I had thought that I had submitted them error free... how wrong could I be!
Once I'd uploaded the collection onto kindle, I checked again and four sides of A4 later, I realised how much had been missed by both me and my lovely husband (who proofreads for me). My writing buddy, Tracy Fells, looked at the stories again - she'll be reviewing my collection soon, so look out for that - and found more!
I thought that would be it, but when we were preparing the book for print publishing with CreateSpace we found more! I now know what an amazing job our magazine editors do before our stories are finally printed in their publications.
It also made me realise how absolutely essential it is to use a professional proofreader for a longer piece of work - such as a novel... fresh eyes and all that. If anyone has used a proofreader who they are pleased with, please feel free to add their names in your comments.
Shame a proof reader wasn't used for this children's book. I was glad, when I looked at it with my granddaughter, that she can't read yet - or it would have been a pretty ropey lesson in punctuation and she wouldn't have been happy about that. Can you spot all the errors?
Finally, I will be holding a launch party here on my blog next Monday and I would love you all to join me... and invite your friends!
