• 🔍🦘🛎@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    4 days ago

    Semicolons should separate related ideas; they should work as independent sentences though.

    Em dashes–contrary to how most people use them–are for asides or supplementary information. I also see them used to show a conclusion–a direct response to a prior statement that doesn’t seem appropriate to put in a new sentence.

    • brbposting@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      Punctuation: gotta love it.

      Thank goodness I was raised where etc. I was; feel like I have a handle on it.

      But who knows—maybe I’m imperfect with them!

      (howdid I doozie here^ pls)

      Edit: Okay, just read it—your comment, I mean—and I used v2 of your em dash, so here’s v1 :)

    • ulterno@programming.dev
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 days ago

      I sometimes use semicolons when I realise I have been using too many commas and I don’t feel like breaking up into multiple sentences. So, kinda like a bigger comma.
      I understand that makes it wrong, though.

    • egrets@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      4 days ago

      Best choice is to switch out the em dashes for parentheses ( even where that doesn’t make any sense.