WEBVTT

00:00:07.569 --> 00:00:12.165
It may seem like the semicolon
is struggling with an identity crisis.

00:00:12.165 --> 00:00:15.083
It looks like a comma 
crossed with a period.

00:00:15.083 --> 00:00:20.608
Maybe that's why we toss these punctuation
marks around like grammatical confetti.

00:00:20.608 --> 00:00:23.628
We're confused about 
how to use them properly.

00:00:23.628 --> 00:00:29.343
In fact, it's the semicolon's half-half 
status that makes it useful.

00:00:29.343 --> 00:00:33.393
It's stronger than a comma,
and less final than a period.

00:00:33.393 --> 00:00:36.764
It fills the spaces in between,
and for that reason,

00:00:36.764 --> 00:00:40.526
it has some specific
and important tasks.

00:00:40.526 --> 00:00:43.579
For one, it can clarify 
ideas in a sentence

00:00:43.579 --> 00:00:46.681
that's already festooned with commas.

00:00:46.681 --> 00:00:50.217
"Semicolons: At first, they may 
seem frightening,

00:00:50.217 --> 00:00:52.757
then, they become enlightening,

00:00:52.757 --> 00:00:57.863
finally, you'll find yourself falling
for these delightful punctuation marks."

00:00:57.863 --> 00:01:00.966
Even though the commas separate 
different parts of the sentence,

00:01:00.966 --> 00:01:04.376
it's easy to lose track 
of what belongs where.

00:01:04.376 --> 00:01:07.751
But then the semicolon 
edges in to the rescue.

00:01:07.751 --> 00:01:12.269
In list-like sentences, it can exert
more force than commas do,

00:01:12.269 --> 00:01:17.528
cutting sentences into compartments
and grouping items that belong together.

00:01:17.528 --> 00:01:22.413
The semicolon breaks things up,
but it also builds connections.

00:01:22.413 --> 00:01:26.605
Another of its tasks is to link together
independent clauses.

00:01:26.605 --> 00:01:29.436
These are sentences 
that can stand on their own,

00:01:29.436 --> 00:01:31.556
but when connected by semicolons,

00:01:31.556 --> 00:01:35.662
look and sound better
because they're related in some way.

00:01:35.662 --> 00:01:38.812
"Semicolons were once 
a great mystery to me.

00:01:38.812 --> 00:01:41.526
I had no idea where to put them."

00:01:41.526 --> 00:01:43.695
Technically, there's nothing 
wrong with that.

00:01:43.695 --> 00:01:46.513
These two sentences can stand alone.

00:01:46.513 --> 00:01:49.984
But imagine they appeared
in a long list of other sentences,

00:01:49.984 --> 00:01:54.218
all of the same length,
each separated by periods.

00:01:54.218 --> 00:01:57.789
Things would get monotonous very fast.

00:01:57.789 --> 00:01:59.335
In that situation,

00:01:59.335 --> 00:02:02.382
semicolons bring fluidity 
and variation to writing

00:02:02.382 --> 00:02:04.927
by connecting related clauses.

00:02:04.927 --> 00:02:09.687
But as beneficial as they are,
semicolons don't belong just anywhere.

00:02:09.687 --> 00:02:12.663
There are two main rules 
that govern their use.

00:02:12.663 --> 00:02:15.692
Firstly, unless they're 
being used in lists,

00:02:15.692 --> 00:02:20.728
semicolons should only connect clauses
that are related in some way.

00:02:20.728 --> 00:02:22.884
You wouldn't use one here, for instance:

00:02:22.884 --> 00:02:25.903
"Semicolons were once 
a great mystery to me;

00:02:25.903 --> 00:02:29.051
I'd really like a sandwich."

00:02:29.051 --> 00:02:33.647
Periods work best here because these
are two totally different ideas.

00:02:33.647 --> 00:02:37.787
A semicolon's job is to reunite 
two independent clauses

00:02:37.787 --> 00:02:40.262
that will benefit from 
one another's company

00:02:40.262 --> 00:02:42.446
because they refer to the same thing.

00:02:42.446 --> 00:02:46.489
Secondly, you'll almost never find
a semicolon willingly stationed

00:02:46.489 --> 00:02:49.250
before coordinating conjunctions:

00:02:49.250 --> 00:02:55.763
the words, "and," "but," "for,"
"nor," "or," "so," and "yet."

00:02:55.763 --> 00:02:57.852
That's a comma's place, in fact.

00:02:57.852 --> 00:03:02.157
But a semicolon can replace 
a conjunction to shorten a sentence

00:03:02.157 --> 00:03:04.149
or to give it some variety.

00:03:04.149 --> 00:03:08.101
Ultimately, this underappreciated
punctuation mark

00:03:08.101 --> 00:03:11.782
can give writing clarity, 
force, and style,

00:03:11.782 --> 00:03:15.345
all encompassed 
in one tiny dot and squiggle

00:03:15.345 --> 00:03:18.486
that's just waiting to be put 
in the right place.