Style Academy #4

Isaac Ford

Kaleigh Spooner

Writing 130 Section 23

Style Academy #4

            Every time I sit down to write a paper, an email, or anything for that matter, I try to make it the best possible.  I always try to sound intelligent, informed, and polite.  For some reason or another, that always leads me to want to use the semicolon.  All through high school I wondered how to use it correctly, and so for this Style Academy assignment, I decided to learn more about the semicolon.

            First of all, there are four general rules to use the semicolon as discussed in the video.  The first is used between two independent clauses.  They are separated by a semicolon.  The second is that you use semicolons between two independent clauses that are linked with some sort of transitional phrase, like therefore, accordingly, or hence.  The third is very similar to the second.  You just use them in between two independent clauses, and in front of a transitional element.  And lastly, semicolons are used to separate elements of a sentence that already contain some kind of punctuation.  A good example and exercise given in the video of how the last one is used is this

The U.S. government has three branches: the legislative which makes the law the executive which enforces the law and the judicial which interprets the law.

This is the original sentence, and this is the one I edited with the commas and semicolons.

The U.S. government has three branches: the legislative, which makes the law; the executive, which enforces the law; and the judicial, which interprets the law.

This video was actually really helpful.  I now will not just throw semicolons around with no real idea of how to use them.  Semicolons can also be used as rhetorical moves, as shown in the video.  A much different effect is achieved from combining two sentences with a semicolon instead of just using two different sentences.  I am looking forward to writing in the future with the real rules in my mind about semicolons.