Writing Blog Number 2

20240331 Not As Common Punctuation

Not As Common Punctuation

I have been asked about this a few times this year, so I have decided to put everything together. We all know about full stops (‘periods’), question marks, exclamation marks, commas, apostrophes, direct quote punctuation, etc. But what about those other bits of punctuation that seem so gosh-darn confusing? Well, here are a few.


Semi-Colon
;
A semi-colon is used for two things. First is to join two ideas that are separate sentences and that should be joined with a comma and the word “and”, but that would make the sentence too long and unwieldy. Technically (and this comes from Oxford) a semicolon “joins two related independent clauses in place of a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet).”
My dinner was perfect; the steak was cooked just right.
Second, it is used in a complex list following a colon.
There were three members of the group: Dif, an elf with a habit of killing indiscriminately; Cumi, a former prince afflicted with lycanthropy; and Marybeth, a woman from another world where they drove in things called “cars” and didn’t kill their own food.


Colon
:
A colon is used to introduce something. It could be a list (see above), an explanation, or anything else. It is falling out of use, unfortunately, as more and more prefer the em-dash.


Em-dash (emdash, m-dash)
–
So called because it is the same size as the letter “m” on a typeset. This is used to separate a clause or word or even sentence in the middle of a sentence from the rest of the sentence. Thirty-plus years ago, these parts of a sentence would have been put in parentheses (see below), but they have fallen out of fashion.
The cat – Margie called it ‘Bob’ but it only answered to ‘Cat’ – was a large Maine Coon that would watch you whenever you entered the house.
The section in the em-dashes should be where it is, but it does not fit in comfortably with the rest of the sentence as a dependent clause.
An em-dash can also be used in place of a colon at times.
If you want to date my daughter, I have one word for you – don’t.


Parentheses
( ) [ ]
As mentioned above, the parentheses (singular, parenthesis) has been superseded by the em-dash. However, it is still used in some books when there are non-dependent clauses within non-dependent clauses, particularly in formal works or comedy. You can see by my use of parentheses in this post that they can be very handy to add an extra degree of explanation.
Should you ever face a rampaging Broncos Supporter (if you find yourself on its home turf in Queensland [though why you’d want to be in Queensland is anyone’s guess]) then simply give it a XXX beer and point at a New South Welshman (should one be in the vicinity; otherwise pretend a Victorian is from New South Wales).


Ampersand
&
This is used to replace the word “and”… and should be avoided in actual writing. In drafts, even in titles, or in poetry, fine; if you are writing a story or essay, then it is best avoided, unless you are making a point or transcribing an exact piece of writing.
Oh, ever wonder where the name comes from? No? Too bad.
It was considered the 27th letter of the alphabet for a while. A B C D… X Y Z &. So, when you said the alphabet, you would say, “Ay, Bee, See, Dee… Ecs, Why, Zed, and, per se, And.” Because & = “And.” However, when said quickly, “…and, per se, and,” became, “ampersand,” and hence its name.


Ellipsis
…
The ellipsis is the three dots. This one took me personally a while to get the hang of. I over-used it so badly.
In formal writing, it is used in a direct quote to show where words have been omitted.
Thus:
”The President of the Adelaide University is an honorary title. The President has no power and is only there to exercise a casting vote in the event of a tied vote of the University Caucus.”
could become:
”The President of the Adelaide University… is only there to exercise a casting vote in the event of a tied vote of the University Caucus.”
In fiction it can be used to show that someone speaking has let their voice trail off.
”I really like Gary and the way he…” Sally’s voice faded as the boy she liked filled her head completely.
It can also be used to show that an action has not completed, usually at the end of a section or chapter. This is becoming frowned upon more and more.
Sally and Gary walked off, hand-in-hand, leaving the bike shed deserted. But from the other side of the yard, a pair of eyes, narrowed with jealousy, watched them go, hands opening and closing, a low growl emerging from the throat…
It’s meant to heighten tension, but it has become a cliché… and that is something I need to get out of.
And there, in that sentence, I used it a third way – for comedic (allegedly) effect, to add something after a statement that should stand on its own, but would lose some impact if it did.


Interobang
‽
Don’t use the interobang. Ever. Just… don’t.
Seriously. Don’t.


And that’s it for a brief guide to seldom used punctuation!