link to this "semicolon ruling"?

Not only do lawyers overuse semicolons, but most of the time they don't use them correctly. From my experience, at least 75% of the semicolons people use should be commas. Either that or they seperate two sentences that aren't closely related enough to be seperated by a semicolon. Tip--if you aren't sure, use either a comma or a period instead. People aren't going to think you are stupid for not using semicolons. They will, however, think you are stupid for misusing semicolons.

It has its place, but only rarely; as is, it is overused.

"According to the Times, 'whatever one’s personal feelings about semicolons, some people don’t use them because they never learned how.' Are you a member of that group?"

I don't see how this is shocking when only 1 in 7 Americans aged 18 to 24 can find Iraq on a map.

Isn't Iraq shaped like a semi colon?

What's the preference on comma usage when listing a series?

A,B, and C
or
A,B and C

Personally, I think the latter is for chumps.

Curios: i think that the serial comma before the "and" makes lists more clear, especially in complex sentences. i often wonder why its pretty much standard corporate legal practice to omit that comma.

11:06 - You, my friend, are not a tool; rather, your mother is a toolbox.

they are chumps indeed

11:10 et al., I think that you can go either way with the comma. My grammar teachers taught us to include the pre-"and" comma, but I think it's fine to do it either way, provided you're consistent.

11:14: gramatically either way if fine. I just believe it enhances clarity. but if you read a SEC filing or a credit agreement, you likely won't find it.

Agree that the "extra" comma works for ease of reading.

The pre-"and" comma is called the Oxford comma and is totally optional in American English. That said, it appears to be the norm in legal writing.

How did Noam Chomsky make it in to this article? Did he add anything besides for a swipe at Bush?

the extra comma is the way to go (or should I say "the one that doesn't have the missing comma"). That's how I learned it in school. It seems like recently I've been seeing the missing comma a lot (esp. in academic things). I think its the British way. Don't be Un-American though, use your commas early and often.

You should use the serial comma in legal writing. While many newspaper and magazine publishing guides recommend against it, most American academic and professional style guides insist upon mandatory usage of the serial comma. There is some disagreement in academia across the pond, but Oxford supports mandatory usage of the serial comma.

You know JT has no issues with abusing colons or semi-colons of any kind.

And JT means any.

Clever writing aside, why didn't the NYT tell us the proper use of a semicolon? It's been almost 20 years since my grammar classes, but basically the punctuation separates clauses that could stand on their own as sentences, right? I'm sure there's other nuances listed in Fowler's, but isn't that the jist of it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma

though I use the serial comma a good amount, i'm starting to come around to the non-serial comma. The serial comma is so redundant...it makes the "and" feel like he doesn't have a job anymore. I feel sorry for words that have their little hearts broken.

anyway, according to this article, it seems to be a toss-up. Looks like we'll have to settle this the old fashioned way: naked mud wrestling

i think the semicolon is extremely useful; i use it all the time.

11:34, the sentences also need to be very closely related. Basically, the second sentence is carrying along the same line of thought as the first sentence.

Second-rate bloggers at my high school used to hear about a story several days after it broke national headlines; it was no big deal.

Dunwoody: Actually, in American English, the serial (pre-"and") comma is referred to as the "Harvard comma."

And it is "strongly recommended" by the Chicago Manual of Style.

Good rule of thumb: if the semicolon could be replaced with "and" or "but," you are probably using it correctly. If not, chances are you fucked up. And yes, fucked up is a technical term.

the comma before the "and" in a list is anathema to the English language. Don't use this comma, because if you do you are probably using too many commas in other places. I hate reading documents authored by someone who has applied "comma boomerang" method of spraying commas allover the document. Bap, Bap, Bap, Bap goes the comma boomerang, all over the document!

comma boomerang AKA the comma machine gun. And it goes Rat a tat tat, all over the document!

The semi-colon is awesome. It's like a lightsabre. Not as clumsy or as random as a comma or a conjunction. An elegant punctuation mark for a more civilized time.

It really does add artistic flair and a certain pithy style that has been forgotten. It's deep yet simple. It allows for a poetic flow and flexibility that you cannot get from choppy short sentences. Reading the works of Lincoln and his generation, I see they employed it with great success.

I think it allows for clarity. Not the kind of "easy" crystal clarity you'd get from a new sentence, though. I mean it allows for a clarity that has intellectual depth. A clarity that leads the reader to think, "I get it, but I see there is something lurking behind this thought which I just have to accept. Something that is part of the writer's soul to which I cannot get, but I can at least see glimpses of. Something more meaningful, more deep. Like an old Chinese proverb that cannot be simply translated into English. Surely, this writer has depth!"

The semi-colon is too perfect to be included in any internet posting.

What about the asian power bottom colon? I hear it's really loose.

11:06 - The first is better. The latter is taught as acceptable in school as being more "American" (at least it was in mine, and I went to a decent school). I took that to mean "stupid, lazy, and not nearly as precise."

"Don't use this comma, because if you do you are probably using too many commas in other places."

I sincerely hope you aren't an attorney if this is the type of logic you use.

"Don't use a comma where you should, because you will probably use it in the wrong place too."

Instead, why not just use commas properly throughout?

Someone "deciding" to leave out the appropriate serial comma is only a half-step above the person that you get annoyed with for improperly using "comma boomerangs."

FYI - People who use the comma properly feel the same way reading documents written by people like you as you do reading documents written by people who use "comma boomerangs."

Can anyone recommend a short book on proper punctuation, grammar etc. This who/whom thing is beyond me.

I love how teachers always say something is “more American” when they want to convey that it is informal. The truth of the matter is, the serial comma is more American and the lack thereof is more British. There isn’t much debate among the top academic institutions in America that the serial comma is the way to go. In England, however, you have the Oxford (for the serial comma) Cambridge (against the serial comma) split. As such, the serial comma is more a personal preference issue in English academic writing. In American academic writing, however, the serial comma is overwhelmingly insisted upon. While it may not be “necessary,” it is heavily favored.

11:06:

See Strunk and White rule # 2: "In a series of three or more terms witha single conjuction, use a comma after each term except the last. Thus write,

red, white, and blue."

Thus, you are correct.

Most of my partners like to edit out the last comma. I add it back, correct them, and leave a copy of the SW rule in their desk (it started as a joke). They seem to be doing it out of habit, even though they know the stupid rule. RTFM.

@11:54 AM

Too long; didn't read.

On the other hand, the COLON is just a different animal. It's like the Deathstar. Deadly and destructive to your opponents, but you look like a total dick when you use it.

To all of you who have commented in depth about commas and the history thereof,

You have no life. You will die alone and/or working.

@12:17 PM.

An exception, in my mind, exists for situations like this one, where a sentence has more than one "and":

"I like pistachio, rum raisin, and cookies and cream ice cream."

ee cummings is my hero

RTFM = Read The F'ing Manual (err, book). When in doubt, I always follow Strunk and White.

Garner's Modern American Usage is a comprehensive guide. It's long, but organized for quick reference.

I had a semicolonic once. It let me with a less-than-wonderful "glass is half full" feeling.

12:23, you are correct. SW rule # 2 clearly states that the rule applies only when the sentence has one conjuction.

In your sentence, "cookies and cream ice cream" contains terms that are seen as easily grouped together, like "butter and toast." Thus, a comma cannot be placed before the second "and" without destroying the sentence's meaning.

asshats; all

we have apples, bananas, and oranges; snickers, M&Ms, and Hershey's; TV's, teleprompters, and cable wires.

Garner's The Elements of Legal Style is also fantastic.

The Times article states a rule for semicolon use, but I prefer the formulation in S&W (rule 5): "If two or more clauses, gramatically complete and not joined by a conjunction, are to form a single compound sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon."

Most lawyers overuse semicolons. The most egregious misuses occur when a colon is preferred:

NOT

The situation was chaotic; Mary was in tears, Heather was hysterical, and Suzy just stood there moaning.

BUT

The situation was chaotic: Mary was in tears, Heather was hysterical, and Suzy just stood there moaning.

Best argument for use of the serial comma:

"The American Idol winner thanked her parents, Britney Spears and Jesus."

That said, in corporate practice, at least, the serial comma seems almost universally shunned. Pity...

JT, u rok; I'd love to overuse your colon.

Forget the semi-colon: The real problem facing the legal community today is misuse of the open single quotation mark in place of the apostrophe. Or rather, Microsoft Word's inability to tell the difference, and lawyers' laziness in failing to override the incorrect angle of their apostrophes. I automatically throw out any alumni plea that has a class year that uses an open single quotation mark rather than apostrophe to indicate omission, and am getting really sick of patent litigators not knowing better. Heathens, all.

And this is why you still live in your parents' basement...

another legal grammar oddity: the placement of punctuation outside of quotations.

it is a firm rule of english punctuation that you always put the punctuation mark inside the quotation mark like "this."

but in corporate legal docs, you always find "this".

I once was the proud owner of a colon. But alas, my years as a power bottom have left me with nothing more than a semicolon.

KJ's post hits the nail on the head. That sentence makes the American Idol winner the offspring of Britney Spears and Jesus.

You know 2:24, you are as a matter of the rules, correct. However, by moving punctuation outside of the quotes (unless the grammar is included in the quote) is much more clear about what is being quoted.

It is a misrepresentation to quote text that is only part of a sentence and include the period inside of the quotes. Still, you see this all the time, it is a nice way of making a quote from an opinion support your side better.

The history of this is actually very interesting. The reason that punctuation was moved inside of quotes as a "rule" was only because this prevented damage to early printing presses.

For more information see:
http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxvsxxxx.html

I thought there was a lot of comma abuse at my firm. Unless it was absolutely ridiculous, I generally kept the edits to myself.

2:40, that's "what this nice little number is for . . . ."

Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?

KJ @ 1:37: yours is the most elegant answer to my question. You rock the block.

Everyone else who provided references to usage manuals and/or your thoughts: thanks for the input.

GRAMMARIAN @ 11:10: Curious Mantooth is a saint, you hear me, a saint!

Anony @ 4:23 and the like: blow it out your ass.

4:39, people like 4:23 can blow it out their
(semi) COLON.

grammar rules are totalitarian in nature and i refuse to abide by them if you cannot understand what i am conveying with my written words it is because you are stupid and not because i do not know how to write correct-like

also be informed that when using a colon the phrase that follows the colon should be capitalized if said phrase could stand alone

thank you good night and god bless

3:33, if people actually used ellipses correctly I wouldn't have as big of a beef. Alas, that never seems to be the case in page limited filings.

As a sometimes college English professor, I have to agree that a majority of people do not know how to properly use the semicolon. It's almost like the best rule for the comma, "When in doubt, leave it out".