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Grammatically Correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation ...

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PUNCTUATION<br />

this disk; and the revised work is then printed out on a desk<strong>to</strong>p laser<br />

printer <strong>to</strong> produce the final camera-ready copy.<br />

My criteria are that the building must be no higher than three s<strong>to</strong>ries;<br />

the main rooms must have lots of light; the parking and guest parking<br />

must be adequate; and the neighbors must not be nosy.<br />

Apply this last use of the semicolon with discretion, however.<br />

Just as with long elements, it's a judgment call. Do not use semicolons<br />

in any situation where commas would be adequate.<br />

LINKING ELEMENTS<br />

<strong>The</strong> previous section looked at the uses of the semicolon in promoting<br />

clarity. In that role, it is simply put in places where commas<br />

would otherwise go, and no other change <strong>to</strong> the sentence is<br />

involved.<br />

This section describes a different role of the semicolon: that of<br />

forming elegant alternatives <strong>to</strong> other sentence constructions. Knowledgeable<br />

application of this <strong>punctuation</strong> mark can serve <strong>to</strong> tighten<br />

up loose wordings, elucidate or emphasize subtle relationships and<br />

add polish <strong>to</strong> your writing style.<br />

RECOMMENDATION: CONSIDER USING THE SEMICOLON<br />

IN PLACE OF A CONJUNCTION<br />

Consider the following sentences:<br />

His offer sounded <strong>to</strong>o good <strong>to</strong> be true, so I didn't believe it.<br />

[two independent clauses linked by so]<br />

Doreen was starting <strong>to</strong> worry, for Leo was now two hours late.<br />

[two independent clauses linked by for]<br />

We didn't have the heart <strong>to</strong> continue, as it all seemed so futile.<br />

[independent clause followed by a dependent clause starting with as]<br />

Sol is the practical one in the family, whereas his brother is the dreamer.<br />

[independent clause followed by a dependent clause starting with<br />

whereas]<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is nothing wrong with any of these constructions, and they<br />

certainly contain no ambiguity. In each case, however, it would be<br />

93

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