Semicolons
Semicolons seem to
be the “poor cousin” of punctuation. We all know we should have one in our
writing, but we’re not sure what to do with it once we have one.
I pulled out my
trusty Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press, Fourteenth
edition, 1993 ISBN 0-226-10389-7) and I've found out some very
interesting notes about semicolons.
A semicolon is
still very useful to mark a more important break in sentence flow than marked
by a comma. It should always be used between the two parts of a compound
sentence (independent, or coordinate, clauses) when they are not connected by a
conjunction.
Coordinate clauses
may, of course, be separated into individual sentences.
When it comes to
dialogue, semicolons probably should stay away. Do people really speak with
implied semicolons? I imagine there is argument both ways on this topic,
however, according to the Chicago Manual of Style, it doesn’t belong.
Semicolons should
be placed outside quotation marks or parentheses. When the matter quoted ends
with a semicolon, that semicolon is dropped.
Should the
introductory material intervene between complex coordinate clauses of
conversational material, it may be helpful, although not necessary, to follow
the introduction with a semicolon:
For example:
"Taking Peter by the hand, Amy tugged him along toward Virginia and made
him speak to her," said Charlotte, with a crooked smile; "but
Virginia was furious and abruptly turned away."
I hope that helps.
I for one, do not use semicolons in dialogue.
Blech!
I prefer to use
other kinds of punctuation that more aptly imply what I want my characters to
say.
In dialog dashes
are used to show a cut off of a word, if the person speaking is interrupted.
Ellipsis points are used to for faltering speech.
This is also noted
in the Chicago Manual of Style under Chapter 10 point 39.
Authors and editors
are not always consistent in the way they use ellipses and dashes in
interrupted speech, but an attempt should be made to establish a distinction.
Ellipsis points suggest faltering or fragmented speech accompanied by
confusion, insecurity, distress, or uncertainty, and they should be reserved
for that purpose. The dash, on the other hand, suggests some decisiveness and
should be reserved for interruptions, abrupt changes in thought, or impatient
fractures of grammar.
"I ... I ...
that is, we ... yes, we have made an awful blunder!"
Go To Page: 1 2
