I'm sitting in my office at this very moment to print out a grammar exam for my students. I normally just check for grammatical understanding within their papers, but this semester, I decided to formally assess and reward in an exam format.
Lucky them.
Different sections carry different weights. Writing a sentence with a semicolon, for example, matters much more than using a comma after an introductory clause. At least it does to me. It's because the semicolon symbolizes so very much in the world of writing with flair.
If you can use a semicolon, you understand the romance between sentences; you see how one sentence flirts with and amplifies the other. If you can use a semicolon, you're offering a complex sentence structure that unveils the complexity of your own mind. You're an expert. You have authority. You have insight.
The semicolon reiterates. It's a gift to the reader with its gentle nudge of explanation. It's the most considerate of punctuation marks; it offers another way to understand and another way to see. While the colon insists, the semicolon suggests.
Here. Hold my hand. Come on this journey with me.
I love the gentle semicolon.
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How is your writing life today?
I couldn't agree more. The great unwashed do not understand how to use punctuation as an effective writing tool.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Matt. I knew you would understand!
ReplyDeleteSo cool! After reading your book, I use the semicolon much more than I previously; hopefully, in a manner befitting its proper usage.
ReplyDelete