Our best punctuation mark is dying out; people need to learn how to use it
Three reasons the misunderstood semicolon is under threat
- The semicolon is declining in usage, appearing half as often in English books compared to 25 years ago.
- Research shows that more than half of British students don't know or understand how to use a semicolon, with many admitting to rarely or never using it.
- The decline is attributed to a lack of proper grammar education, the rise of smartphones and emojis, and the increasing use of AI writing tools.
- While some writers criticise the semicolon as pretentious, its proponents argue it adds a touch of class and connects ideas seamlessly.
- The most common misuse is putting a semicolon instead of a comma. It’s not a pause, but a tool to separate two independent clauses that are linked.