Semicolon. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

[serge gurkski]

I am marginally obsessive, if that is possible, about punctuation. Many of us habitually read our own work out loud in order to get the required or intended emotion into the written word. The technique is valuable...but you then must try to transmit the result to your reader. To do this, punctuate.
Do not misinterpret what I am trying, badly, to say. Not every aspiring poet is interested in passing on such information as punctuation can provide. They will argue for preferring instead to let the readers make up their own minds where the pauses and nuances of speech should be. Fine. This is not for them.
The full stop, colon, semicolon and comma are the basic dictators (and I mean to use that word) of control in the written word. The use of these squiggly marks is universally accepted. They are there to be used.
Of the four, the semicolon is the the most hated, misused, maligned and misunderstood.
Each of the four introduces a pause. I only use punctuation in the way that I was taught many years ago, by an excellent tutor. I am aware that language changes but its most rudimentary, there is a necessity to breathe... don't forget, I am still talking about the advantages of reading your work out loud.
The count 1 comma, count 2 semicolon, count 4(some argue 3) colon and "pause to suit the dramatic effect" (some argue 4)full stop, is my yardstick. A count is a foot or half-foot depending upon the rhythm of the piece. Now, that is a simplification.
The semicolon is different from the rest. Its use is, admittedly, limited but it HAS a use.
When two sentences, and this is of the essence, need to be conjoined without the use of a repeated or redundant conjunction, use the semicolon.
Many shy away from the semicolon because it is also the most feared of all punctuation marks.
I love it; perhaps I love it to excess.
The most important rule is also the simplest. Semicolons should ONLY be used to join TWO complete SENTENCES when a conjunction would be problematic. The full stop is the only mark of the four that requires a capital letter following its use. That is all.
If anyone wants a fight over this, I'll meet them behind billy's bike shed after the pubs close.
Discuss.
tectak

References. The Art of Writing. John Whale ISBN 0-460-04582-2
For the neophyte. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon.
For the academic.
http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/depa...ode17.html
For me. Geoff Farrington. Senior Tutor (English Language) GGS. 1959-(?)

You're mainly obsessive. I ll read ya later. but that's a thing to love you for.

there is so NO an idea of speech pausing behind the insertion of semi-colons. But wtf. ;-)
The semi colon was not invented for pauses. read linguistic. Goddamn.

Oh, the mushrooms!

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This is so not!* what it is all about. But, you win of course. Rejoice!
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* a break for rhetorical reasons. Sigh! ;-)))

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You just cannot break it down. Ok with me. Keep the word flood coming and consider me majorly impressed.