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Should semi-colons be banned?

Should semi-colons be banned?

Debates

shavixmir
Lord

Sewers of Holland

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Obviously, I am in the nay camp; semi-colons are the most beautiful of punctuations.

However, what with the younger generation and their tiktocking, apping and what-not; their complete raping of written English, and adding to this nightmare: the American abuse of spelling, the poor old semi-colon is being brought into doubt!

So much so, that I can’t even pretend to know if the above sentence is actually written in proper English anymore.

Oh, woe is me!

So, politics aside for a debate: should the semi-colon be thrown in the garbage can of language-past? Or should it honoured as a much needed remnant of normality?
Perhaps it should just be used, because it is proper?

Let’s hear where you all stand!

MB

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It is rarely used. When I found out how to use it I found it irrelevant. The colon is good enough.

AThousandYoung
1st Dan TKD Kukkiwon

tinyurl.com/2te6yzdu

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1 edit

@shavixmir said
Obviously, I am in the nay camp; semi-colons are the most beautiful of punctuations.

However, what with the younger generation and their tiktocking, apping and what-not; their complete raping of written English, and adding to this nightmare: the American abuse of spelling, the poor old semi-colon is being brought into doubt!

So much so, that I can’t even pretend to kn ...[text shortened]... ormality?
Perhaps it should just be used, because it is proper?

Let’s hear where you all stand!
Without semicolons how will we make sideways winky faces?! ;oP

T

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@Metal-Brain
The semicolon is a brilliant thing that serves a purpose fulfilled by no other punctuation mark; it definitely doesn't serve the same function as a colon.

I hope the semicolon will always be preserved; I shall use it until my dying day.

moonbus
Über-Nerd (emeritus)

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1 edit

@shavixmir said
Obviously, I am in the nay camp; semi-colons are the most beautiful of punctuations.

However, what with the younger generation and their tiktocking, apping and what-not; their complete raping of written English, and adding to this nightmare: the American abuse of spelling, the poor old semi-colon is being brought into doubt!

So much so, that I can’t even pretend to kn ...[text shortened]... ormality?
Perhaps it should just be used, because it is proper?

Let’s hear where you all stand!
They should be banned for writers who don’t know when to use them; not for those who do.

MB

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@teinosuke said
@Metal-Brain
The semicolon is a brilliant thing that serves a purpose fulfilled by no other punctuation mark; it definitely doesn't serve the same function as a colon.

I hope the semicolon will always be preserved; I shall use it until my dying day.
I only used it once or twice in my lifetime. It serves a very rare purpose that is hardly vital. If I substituted a colon few people would even notice.

Shallow Blue

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07 Oct 21

@shavixmir said
Obviously, I am in the nay camp; semi-colons are the most beautiful of punctuations.

However, what with the younger generation and their tiktocking, apping and what-not; their complete raping of written English, and adding to this nightmare: the American abuse of spelling, the poor old semi-colon is being brought into doubt!

So much so, that I can’t even pretend to kn ...[text shortened]... ormality?
Perhaps it should just be used, because it is proper?

Let’s hear where you all stand!
I am a computer programmer. I cannot do my work without the semi-colon.

Shallow Blue

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@metal-brain said
I only used it once or twice in my lifetime. It serves a very rare purpose that is hardly vital. If I substituted a colon few people would even notice.
With the way you jabber and rave, nobody would notice if you substituted your own. The contents would remain the same.

Not all of us are thus handicapped, though – leave us adults our adult punctuation.

Russ
RHP Code Monkey

RHP HQ

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@shallow-blue said
I am a computer programmer. I cannot do my work without the semi-colon.
I concur. This whole web site is about 1% semicolon, if not more.

shavixmir
Lord

Sewers of Holland

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@russ said
I concur. This whole web site is about 1% semicolon, if not more.
Computer monkeys aside… I mean, you’ve already ruined the left shift button on the modern keyboards…

Shallow Blue

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@shavixmir said
Computer monkeys aside… I mean, you’ve already ruined the left shift button on the modern keyboards…
Get a real computer, not that Chromebook bitty-box you're using. My left shift key
button? You going native, mate?
works just fine.

m

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I like the semi-colon

Kewpie
Felis Australis

Australia

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Punctuation is a thing of beauty, only appreciated by folk who understand it; sadly, it's gone the way of the dinosaur and clean rivers.

Shallow Blue

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@kewpie said
Punctuation is a thing of beauty, only appreciated by folk who understand it; sadly, it's gone the way of the dinosaur and clean rivers.
Proper typography prevents rivers.

shavixmir
Lord

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@shallow-blue said
Get a real computer, not that Chromebook bitty-box you're using. My left shift key [hidden]button? You going native, mate?[/hidden] works just fine.
Oh please!
The left shift button (key if you wish, but I ain’t turnin’ it, so I’s be callin’ it a bloody button) has been halved on many keyboards. And that wasted half has been turned into something that only code-monkeys use.. and of which the button already resides elsewhere on the keyboard… completely useless to 95% of the population.

And for people like me who touch type (at incredible speed, I might add), losing half a shift button is like losing a limb.
Well, okay, it means I have to stretch my pinkie… but the jist is the same.

Roughly.

As for good punctuation: it can save lives!

Let’s eat grandpa.
Let’s eat, grandpa.

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