Are semicolons necessary? |
Are semicolons necessary? |
Aug 6 2009, 10:40 PM
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#1
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Senior Member Group: Administrator Posts: 2,648 Joined: Apr 2008 Member No: 639,265 |
Kurt Vonnegut wrote, "Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college." But I happen to like semicolons; I have been to college and I know how to use them properly. So who's right, Kurt Vonnegut or me?
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Aug 6 2009, 10:53 PM
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#2
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I'm Jc Group: Mentor Posts: 13,619 Joined: Jul 2006 Member No: 437,556 |
sorry, i have to side with Vonnegut. i don't think they are necessary and they never enhance the meaning or my understanding of anything.
on top of that, i'm in college, and i still don't know when to use them. maybe that's why i'm being forced into an advanced composition class though. either way, i don't feel like a sentence made any more sense to me because it had a semicolon in it. |
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Aug 6 2009, 11:01 PM
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#3
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DDR \\ I'm Dee :) Group: Mentor Posts: 8,662 Joined: Mar 2006 Member No: 384,020 |
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Aug 6 2009, 11:03 PM
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#4
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Sex, Blood, & RocknRoll Group: People Staff Posts: 5,305 Joined: Nov 2007 Member No: 596,480 |
My
edit: Why the hell did I put history? lol |
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Aug 6 2009, 11:03 PM
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#5
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Senior Member Group: Administrator Posts: 2,648 Joined: Apr 2008 Member No: 639,265 |
Semicolons, like music, are just things you have to feel.
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Aug 6 2009, 11:04 PM
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#6
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crushed. Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 9,431 Joined: Jun 2004 Member No: 20,026 |
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Aug 6 2009, 11:05 PM
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#7
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‹(. .)› Group: Official Member Posts: 2,367 Joined: Jun 2004 Member No: 20,089 |
i am a semicolon fan; i prefer to make my independent clauses sound like dependent clauses.
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Aug 6 2009, 11:07 PM
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#8
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Senior Member Group: Administrator Posts: 2,648 Joined: Apr 2008 Member No: 639,265 |
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Aug 6 2009, 11:10 PM
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#9
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Senior Member Group: Head Staff Posts: 18,173 Joined: Mar 2005 Member No: 108,478 |
QUOTE changmin says (12:02:19 AM): http://www.createblog.com/forums/index.php...=239754&hl= changmin says (12:02:26 AM): T-T I love semicolons changmin says (12:02:45 AM): I've been lazy in using them when talking on AIM, though kryogen1x (12:02:49 AM): i love semicolons too kryogen1x (12:02:58 AM): i throw them in randomly to show that I've gone to college changmin says (12:03:06 AM): are you jk kryogen1x (12:03:18 AM): no for real; they make me sound astute changmin says (12:03:24 AM): lol changmin says (12:03:40 AM): I guess this is one issue that Vonnegut and I do not agree on lol. I've known how to use semicolons properly for a few years now (and I'm not in college yet; go, me), and will continue to use them. The English teacher I had in my junior year of high school actually required us to use a certain amount of semicolons in a paper after giving us a lesson on punctuation. It was boring for me, but interesting to see how some of my classmates didn't understand the point of a semicolon until that day. |
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Aug 6 2009, 11:20 PM
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#10
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in a matter of time Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 7,151 Joined: Aug 2005 Member No: 191,357 |
Semicolons, like music, are just things you have to feel. LOL you know, I actually don't disagree with that, because I've known how to use semicolons before someone officially taught me how to use them (which was probably 9th grade or so). They're not too difficult...if you feel it hahahaha. In all seriousness, a semicolon is immensely useful to throw in the mix to vary sentence structure a bit, and English teachers LOVE that. In an academic setting, it's completely appropriate. But using it while IM-ing with your friends would be pretentious, of course. |
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Aug 6 2009, 11:22 PM
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#11
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Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 7,154 Joined: Feb 2005 Member No: 95,404 |
I love semicolons.
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Aug 6 2009, 11:23 PM
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#12
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I'm Jc Group: Mentor Posts: 13,619 Joined: Jul 2006 Member No: 437,556 |
In all seriousness, a semicolon is immensely useful to throw in the mix to vary sentence structure a bit, and English teachers LOVE that. In an academic setting, it's completely appropriate. But using it while IM-ing with your friends would be pretentious, of course. this makes me laugh. my mom is an english teacher. whenever we're on gmail talking on google chat she always uses all this complicated punctuation. it really annoys me. it is pretentious. |
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Aug 6 2009, 11:42 PM
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#13
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Senior Member Group: Head Staff Posts: 18,173 Joined: Mar 2005 Member No: 108,478 |
But using it while IM-ing with your friends would be pretentious, of course. this makes me laugh. my mom is an english teacher. whenever we're on gmail talking on google chat she always uses all this complicated punctuation. it really annoys me. it is pretentious. Hahaha, well thanks, Gigi. I use commas about half the time and semicolons the other half, depending how lazy I feel. I don't use all proper capitalization and punctuation, though, because that really would be too pretentious. |
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Aug 7 2009, 03:07 AM
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#14
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Senior Member Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 1,815 Joined: Jun 2006 Member No: 423,396 |
i like them. they seem perfect to use at times. of course, i don't overdo it.
but then again, have i really been using them properly all this time? @_@ idk |
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Aug 7 2009, 04:42 AM
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#15
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Nick Group: Member Posts: 78 Joined: Aug 2009 Member No: 740,993 |
i dont have a problem with semicolons. i just prefer not to use them unless im writing in a more formal setting.
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Aug 7 2009, 04:46 AM
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#16
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Photoartist Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 12,363 Joined: Apr 2006 Member No: 399,390 |
sorry, i have to side with Vonnegut. i don't think they are necessary and they never enhance the meaning or my understanding of anything. my broYe, I love kanYe West; Kanye West is amazing
on top of that, i'm in college, and i still don't know when to use them. maybe that's why i'm being forced into an advanced composition class though. either way, i don't feel like a sentence made any more sense to me because it had a semicolon in it. |
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Aug 8 2009, 01:27 AM
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#17
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Eternal Syn Group: Member Posts: 398 Joined: Jun 2004 Member No: 24,000 |
i love semicolons; they allow to me to variate my sentences. rather than, i love how semicolons allow me to variate my sentences.
i believe that's how it's used. i googled this ish like crazy to learn it and i think i got it. |
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Aug 8 2009, 01:32 AM
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#18
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/人◕‿‿◕人\ Group: Official Member Posts: 8,283 Joined: Dec 2007 Member No: 602,927 |
Semicolons are necessary.
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Aug 8 2009, 01:33 AM
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#19
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Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 7,154 Joined: Feb 2005 Member No: 95,404 |
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Aug 8 2009, 01:36 AM
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#20
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Mel Blanc was allergic to carrots. Group: Official Designer Posts: 6,371 Joined: Aug 2008 Member No: 676,291 |
Semicolons are usually necessary in CSS, so yeah, they're necessary to me. :)
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Aug 8 2009, 06:00 AM
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#21
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Senior Member Group: Official Member Posts: 1,036 Joined: May 2009 Member No: 727,246 |
yes - but THEY'RE ALWAYS USED f*ckING WRONG!!!!
edit// ... my computer was on and my boyfriend wrote that. he majored in english, so misuse of punctuation and words make him really pissed. :D |
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Aug 8 2009, 02:15 PM
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#22
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Senior Member Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 2,435 Joined: Feb 2007 Member No: 506,205 |
I loved using them when my English classes actually involved grammar.
Unfortunately, high school literature classes have completely wiped my mind of all the fancy grammar rules and techniques I knew. I don't use semicolons anymore because I don't remember how. |
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Aug 8 2009, 03:21 PM
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#23
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Senior Member Group: Administrator Posts: 2,648 Joined: Apr 2008 Member No: 639,265 |
yes - but THEY'RE ALWAYS USED f*ckING WRONG!!!! edit// ... my computer was on and my boyfriend wrote that. he majored in english, so misuse of punctuation and words make him really pissed. :D Is that why he used four exclamation points at the end of his sentence? |
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Aug 8 2009, 03:41 PM
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#24
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This bag is not a toy. Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 3,090 Joined: Oct 2007 Member No: 583,108 |
^LOL
I can't say I like or dislike semicolons - I guess I'm pretty apathetic. However, there are times when I think it just looks right if I separate two related thoughts with a semicolon. I can't say that I'd just stop using them because someone thinks they aren't necessary. Sometimes when a paragraph seems monotonous, it is necessary to break up the sentence structures in order to improve the flow: "I like dogs. Dogs are cool. My dog ate off my plate yesterday. It kind of made me mad. Then he climbed into my bed with me before bed. I forgave him." I'm not saying that a semicolon is necessary anywhere in that group of sentences, but the sentences COULD be regrouped to make it flow better. I will admit to talking like this 90% of the time on the internet, though. :P I agree that in most conversations with friends, using a semicolon can be perceived as pretentious.. It all depends on who you're talking to, I think. Just for the record, I have avoided a few opportunities to use semicolons in this post. >.> |
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Aug 14 2009, 04:08 PM
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#25
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사랑해 ~ 我愛你 ♥ Group: Design Staff Posts: 825 Joined: Jan 2007 Member No: 492,587 |
I like semicolons. I overuse them in English class, lol.
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