How funny that we would conceptualize this so differently. I actually also
think that the two clauses "read" best with the semicolon. I just don't buy
the idea that the semicolon creates a confession of homicide that the period
does not--though it certainly makes one go "hmmmm" a bit more loudly than
the period does. So I suppose I agree with you WRT connotation, but not as
far as actual denotation is concerned.
The driving force behind my frequent (too frequent, some say) use of
semicolons is the fact that when one reads a paragraph aloud, one doesn't
have to come to a full stop at the end of a clause, as one would with a
period. From this point of view, the semicolon allows more variations in
sentence length, and creates more opportunities for euphonious prose.
When you use "bemused," do you mean "confused," or "amused"? I do not like
that word, because one never knows which meaning anyone is employing.
Pax et lux,
Joy
On Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 7:05 AM, Rin Watt <katecwatt_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Actually, I believe that a semicolon's very purpose is to indicate the
> existence of a close relationship (cause and effect or base and example)
> between two related sentences. A colon just sets up an example, explanation,
> or list, without implying a close relationship between them.
>
> The semicolon is (at the risk of bemusing David Lyndon) the synaptic
> juncture in a sentence; that's where the spark lies.
>
> My husband used to beat me: he's dead now.
>
> is nowhere near as funny or as taut or as much a confession as
>
> My husband used to beat me; he's dead now.
>
> Rin
>
>
> Joy McCann <joy.mccann_at_...> wrote:
> >
> connotations aside, there is no denotative difference between the
> > period/capital letter vs. the semicolon. They are grammatically
> equivalent. If a person were, however, to place a COLON between those two
> clauses, the implication of murder would be crystal-clear, as a colon
> implies an equal sign + an arrow that can convey a sense of
> cause-and-effect;
> >
>
>
>
--
Joy M. McCann
Goddess of Ink and Paper
(But pixels obey me, too.)
Mistress of proofreading, fact-checking,
Line-editing, and copyediting
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Received on 2009-04-25 13:51:56