Semicolon? Really Only Semi-Confusing

What is semicolon?

A semicolon is a little punctuation mark that makes a big difference in your professional writing. In the words of William James, It is ideally suited to keeping the flow of the mind from either stopping altogether as if it had been dammed as it does with a full stop or else turning into an uncontained incomprehensible torrent. 

Why use a semicolon?

Semicolon links or connects two complete sentences having the same thoughts and ideas. It does not connect two parts of sentences or dependent clauses. Let me show you some examples.  

Sentence One

It is raining.

This is a complete sentence.

Sentence Two

You should take an umbrella.

This is another complete sentence.

These are correct complete sentences and there is no wrong in writing like this but if you want to write in a bit more powerful and in an advanced way you should use a semicolon.

It is raining; you should take an umbrella. 

Now you can see the second sentence is linked to the first sentence. They flow from each other and we want to show that there is a connection between ideas. You should take an umbrella why because it's raining.

Take another example.

I'm feeling unwell; I can't go to the meeting.

The important point is that both parts of the sentence, before and after the semicolon, are talking about a related topic. 

So we use a semicolon to show that two ideas or two sentences are very closely related or talking about the same topic. 

How to use a semicolon?

If you'd like to know how to use the tricky semicolon the right way, just follow these easy rules.

Rule # 1:

Connecting Two Complete Sentences

Write one complete sentence.

Ex: She ran quickly down the street.

Write another closely related sentence.

Ex:  The yapping dog was right on her heels. 

Connect the sentences with a semicolon.

She ran quickly down the street; the yapping dog was right on her heels. 

Rule # 2:

Linking Items in a List

Semicolons can be used in lists when the items on the lists contain commas. Usually, when we make a list, we use commas to separate the items on the list. For example, "We need milk, eggs, sugar, and flour." We put a comma after each item, after milk, after eggs, and so on.  But if the items on your list are not just words, but phrases which include commas, we use semicolons to separate the items on the list. Let's take a look.

"We traveled to four cities: Santa Fe, which is in New Mexico; Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada; and finally, Los Angeles in California."

 In this case, we use semicolons to separate the items on the list because the items on the list already include commas. If we used commas to separate the items, it would be very confusing and difficult to read. Let's look at one more example.  

"Only three people showed up: Tom, the head of accounting; Maria Flores, who works in the sales department; and Ellie, who's doing an internship here." 

Rule # 3:

Using It With Transitional Words

Use a semicolon between complete statements separated by transitional words or phrases such as however, in fact, in other words, therefore, or nevertheless. Use a comma after the transitional word or phrase.

Take a look at this:

Asim graduated with honors; therefore, he was eligible for several scholarships.

When we join the sentences with transitional words we put a semicolon before the transitional word and a comma after. 

Bright Tips💡

1. A period divides ideas and sentences and semicolon links or connects the ideas and thoughts and sentences.
2. When we want to join two sentences in English, we use a connecting word, like"and" or "but" or "therefore," but, when you join two sentences using a semicolon, you don't need to use a connecting word. However, if you use a connecting word to join two sentences, you sometimes need to use a semicolon and sometimes a comma. It depends on what the connecting word is. To join two sentences using "and," "or," "but," "yet," or "while," "so," you should use a comma.  To join two sentences using "however," "therefore," "nevertheless," or "meanwhile," you should use a semicolon.
3. Do you use a capital letter after a semicolon? The general answer is no. A semicolon should be followed by a capital letter only if the word is a proper noun or an acronym.

When NOT to use

We do not use it to connect to incomplete sentences because as I mentioned in the beginning if you're going to use a semicolon both sides have to be complete sentences. So, for example in this sentence like staying up a plate, even though I need to get up early.

"I like staying up late" if we stopped it there that could be a full sentence but what about this part "even though I need to get up early. " Now "even though I need to get up early" is not a complete sentence so in this case, we just use the comma we do not use the semicolon. 

You cannot use the semicolon between complete sentences that include coordinating conjunctions which are sometimes abbreviated as fanboys. 

Don't use the semicolon if you're introducing a list of something. For example, Please bring the essentials: your passport, ticket, and luggage.  

Last word

Even though semicolons are very important to use it and it will give your writing an effective and meaningful look but at the same time it's like a diamond you don't want to see it too much it'll sparkle. If you have five paragraphs of the article you could maybe use it once in each paragraph but not more than once in each paragraph because then it becomes a bit heavy.  

Dialogue tags: 150 ways to say “said”

Sometimes fiction writers need accentuation or verbalization in the line of dialogue to convey the way the words are expressed and repeating "he said, she said," in dialogue tags don't quite do the job. There are abundant words to use instead, and you would surprise how much more professional your work will look if you use them appropriately. If you are struggling to find that elusive and perfect substitute, here’s a list of words (categorized by emotion) that might help.

Excitement

Babbled, beamed, blurted, broadcasted, burst, cheered, chortled, chuckled, cried out, crooned, crowed, declared, emitted, exclaimed, giggled, hollered, howled, interjected, jabbered, laughed, praised, preached, presented, proclaimed, professed, promulgated, quaked, ranted, rejoiced, roared, screamed, shouted, shrieked, swore, thundered, trilled, trumpeted, vociferated, wailed, yawped, yelled, yelped, yowled.

Uncertainty

Asked, doubted, faltered, fretted, guessed, hesitated, hypothesized, inquired, lilted, quavered, queried, questioned, shrugged, speculated, stammered, stuttered, supposed, trailed off, wondered.

Generosity

Comforted, consoled, empathized, invited, offered, proffered, released, volunteered.

Sadness

Agonized, bawled, blubbered, grieved, groaned, lamented, mewled, mourned, sobbed, wept.

Contemplation

Contemplated, mused, pondered.

Desire

Attracted, requested, wanted.

Persuasion

Advised, alleged, appealed, asserted, assured, avowed, beckoned, begged, beseeched, cajoled, claimed, conceded, concluded, concurred, contended, defended, disposed, encouraged, entreated, held, hinted, implied, implored, importuned, inclined, indicated, insisted, pleaded, postulated, premised, presupposed, protested, stressed, suggested, touted, urged, vouched for, wheedled.

Storytelling

Announced, answered, began, called, commented, continued, denoted, disclosed, divulged, explained, imparted, noted, observed, proposed, rejoined, replied, revealed, shared, solicited, sought, testified, transferred, transmitted, went on.

Provocation

Exposed, imitated, joked, leered, lied, mimicked, mocked, provoked.

Anger

Accused, barked, bellowed, bossed, carped, censured, condemned, criticized, demanded, fumed, gawped, glowered, growled, grumbled, hissed ordered, raged, remonstrated, reprimanded, retorted, scoffed, scolded, seethed, snapped, snarled, ticked off, told off, upbraided.

Conviction

Addressed, advertised, articulated, bragged, commanded, confided, decided, dictated, ended, exacted, finished, informed, made known, maintained, necessitated, pointed out, promised, reassured, remarked, repeated, reported, specified, stated, told.

Fear

Cautioned, shuddered, trembled, warned.

Acceptance

Accepted, acknowledged, admitted, affirmed, agreed, assumed, conferred, confessed, confirmed, justified, settled, understood, undertook, verified.

Words That Indicate Sound

Breathed, choked, croaked, drawled, echoed, grunted, keened, moaned, mumbled, murmured, panted, sang, sniffled, sniveled, snorted, spluttered, squeaked, uttered, voiced, whimpered, whined, whispered.

Getting Dialogue Right: How to Punctuate Dialogue and Use Dialogue Tags

Just exactly what is dialogue? 

You are writing this blog post. Why don’t you tell me?

I beg your pardon?

Why, what did you do?

Who are you?―if you don’t mind my asking.

Well, I’m a would-be writer who is hanging around waiting for you to say something interesting.

What is your name?

I am Affan. Can I ask you a question?

Sure. Go ahead.

Okay―what’s dialogue?

Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people.

Like what we’re having right now?

Exactly.

When we have a conversation or dialogue with other people in person we know who is talking but when we write we have to tell which character is talking. We need punctuation marks to surround what is being said. For example, your character Sarah might ask, “It's snowing here, what's it doing there?”

Oh no! I don't know anything about punctuating dialogue!

Fear not!!! Punctuating dialogue isn't difficult if you follow the rules... A dialogue between characters without rules is confusing. Take a look at the huge paragraph below where we have different characters talking back and forth but we're not following any punctuation or paragraphing rules which are creating the confusion. We need to find a way to organize this paragraph so that it's easy for us to see which character is speaking at which point of time right.  

It is extraordinary to me, Dorian, said Hallward, that you should have seen this in the portrait. Did you really see it? I saw something in it, he answered, something that seemed to me very curious. Well, you don't mind my looking at the thing now? Dorian shook his head. You must not ask me that, Basil. I could not possibly let you stand in front of that picture. You will some day, surely? Never. Well, perhaps you are right. And now good-bye, Dorian. You have been the one person in my life who has really influenced my art. Whatever I have done that is good, I owe to you. Ah! you don't know what it cost me to tell you all that I have told you. My dear Basil, said Dorian, what have you told me? Simply that you felt that you admired me too much. That is not even a compliment. It was not intended as a compliment. It was a confession. Now that I have made it, something seems to have gone out of me. Perhaps one should never put one's worship into words.

If you punctuate and format your dialogue properly, it is much easier for the reader to understand. 

"It is extraordinary to me, Dorian," said Hallward, "that you should have seen this in the portrait. Did you really see it?" 

"I saw something in it," he answered, "something that seemed to me very curious." 

"Well, you don't mind my looking at the thing now?" 

Dorian shook his head. "You must not ask me that, Basil. I could not possibly let you stand in front of that picture." 

"You will some day, surely?" 

"Never."  
                                                                                           

"Well, perhaps you are right. And now good-bye, Dorian. You have been the one person in my life who has really influenced my art. Whatever I have done that is good, I owe to you. Ah! you don't know what it cost me to tell you all that I have told you."   

"My dear Basil," said Dorian, "what have you told me? Simply that you felt that you admired me too much. That is not even a compliment." 

"It was not intended as a compliment. It was a confession. Now that I have made it, something seems to have gone out of me. Perhaps one should never put one's worship into words." 

But I don’t know what quotation marks are and where to put them? 

Some scholars believe that the quotation marks began in ancient Greek texts as two curved lines representing a person's lips. 

One curved line was placed at the beginning, as if the writer was saying, “I'm telling you something someone else said.” The other curved line came at the end, to say, “I'm finished writing the words that came out of the other person's mouth.” 

I don't know if this story is really true, but it should be. Two curved lines representing lips make sense since quotation marks should be placed before the first word of a quote the last word.  

Okay. You have convinced me that punctuation rules are important. But I still need to learn what the rules are! I need help! 

Here are 5 rules for punctuating dialogues.   

1. Start a new paragraph each time the speaker changes. 

The basics for the format of dialogue is that each time a new person speaks, it’s a new paragraph, like in this example from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wild. 

"It is extraordinary to me, Dorian," said Hallward, "that you should have seen this in the portrait. Did you really see it?" 

"I saw something in it," he answered, "something that seemed to me very curious." 

"Well, you don't mind my looking at the thing now?" 

Dorian shook his head. "You must not ask me that, Basil. I could not possibly let you stand in front of that picture." 

"You will some day, surely?" 

"Never."                   
                                                                                  

"Well, perhaps you are right. And now good-bye, Dorian. You have been the one person in my life who has really influenced my art. Whatever I have done that is good, I owe to you. Ah! you don't know what it cost me to tell you all that I have told you." 

"My dear Basil," said Dorian, "what have you told me? Simply that you felt that you admired me too much. That is not even a compliment." 

"It was not intended as a compliment. It was a confession. Now that I have made it, something seems to have gone out of me. Perhaps one should never put one's worship into words." 

2. Use quotation marks in DIRECT quotations.  

Example: 

"My dear Basil," said Dorian, "what have you told me? Simply that you felt that you admired me too much. That is not even a compliment." 

3. Periods, question marks, and exclamation points should go inside ending quotation marks. 

Example: 

"I am in Lady Agatha's black books at present," answered Dorian with a funny look of penitence. "I promised to go to a club in Whitechapel with her last Tuesday, and I really forgot all about it.” 

"My dear Basil," said Dorian, "what have you told me?”  

“Did you see Hagrid sobbing, “I’m so sorry!” 

4. Use commas to start and end dialogue tags or expressions. 

Example: 

"I know you will laugh at me," he replied, "but I really can't exhibit it. I have put too much of myself into it."  

5. After you finish, read over your dialogue to make sure that conversation makes sense. Since people don't always speak in complete sentences, dialogue often contains sentence fragments that aren't grammatically incorrect. Still, it is important that your readers correctly understand the message intended by your speakers.  

Okay, thanks! You have explained to me about punctuation rules but what are dialogue tags? 

A dialogue tag is a text that goes after a character has spoken, such as "he said," and "she whispered. So, in this sentence: "And what is that?" he asked, ‘he asked’ is the dialogue tag. 

Dialogue tags are very important as they tell the readers who is talking, how they speak, and any other actions they took in the middle of a dialogue. They either come before, after or in between the actual dialogue. We ask our poor reader to do a lot of work. She has to keep in mind many different pieces of information, and the tags help her keep track of who's speaking.  

Here are 3 ways to tag dialogue.  

TAG BEFORE THE DIALOGUE 

When dialogue tags are before the dialogue it looks like this: 

Marty asked, “I need help moving this box of toys for the garage sale. Will you help me?”  

How it works:

• Use a comma AFTER the dialogue tag.
• If the dialogue is the beginning of a sentence, CAPITALIZE the first letter.
• End the dialogue with the appropriate punctuation and keep it INSIDE the quotation marks.

TAG AFTER THE DIALOGUE 

When dialogue tags are used after the dialogue it looks like this: 

"He is very good-looking," she said. 

How it works:

• Punctuation still goes INSIDE quotation marks.
• Unless the dialogue tag begins with a proper noun, it is NOT capitalized.
• End the dialogue tag with APPROPRIATE PUNCTUATION.

TAG IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DIALOGUE 

When dialogue tags are used in the middle of dialogue it looks like this: 

"First of all," he said, "if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-"  

How it works:

• A comma is used before the dialogue tag and goes INSIDE quotation marks.
• Unless the dialogue tag begins with a proper noun, it is NOT capitalized.
• A comma is used after the dialogue tag, OUTSIDE of quotation marks, to reintroduce the dialogue.
• End the dialogue with the appropriate punctuation and keep it INSIDE the quotation marks.

Some more tips...!!

• Make your dialogue easy for your readers to understand and read.
• If you are writing with multiple (three or more) characters, use only enough dialogue tags to clearly indicate who is speaking.
• If you are trying to insert action or description, you can use it as the dialogue tag. For example:

Lord Henry laughed. "And what is that?" he asked.  

"I will tell you," said Hallward; but an expression of perplexity came over his face.  

"I am all expectation, Basil," continued his companion, glancing at him.  

Hey, thanks! Now I understand the rules and can't wait to start writing dialogue—correctly!