VonEvilstein

This misuse of apostrophes is Of the Wyrm. It alone has been reason enough for me to take my business elsewhere.

Darwin26

My head just Exploded

abe smith

How 'bouts everybody including Hillary Clinton uses "suspicious" instead of "suspect" (the adjective). As, "suspicious behaviour". I'd submit all the similar confusings that drive me nuts, but at this time of day I can't retrieve them...

Bag of Ass

By popular demand, here comes the semicolon (or semi-colon). This punctuation mark (;) is generally used to connect two main clauses that share a closely related idea, thereby forming a compound sentence from two simple sentences; consequently, a properly used semicolon indicates that the two connected statements should be considered closely related (more so than a period (.) does), so a writer will use it to concisely indicate that two things are related.

When used this way, you can always grammatically substitute the semicolon with a period and turn the sentence into two separate sentences. Your meaning will be the same, but the difference is that the two ideas are no longer considered to be as closely related as they were when they used the semicolon and were actually a single sentence.

If you're joining two main clauses that can stand alone as their own sentences, the second part of the sentence, the part after the semicolon, should not begin with a conjunction such as and, but, or, nor, for, yet, while, whereas, or so.
Example - Some forumers like to read about grammar; others like to complain about those that like to read about grammar.

You can, however, begin it with a conjunction if one or both clauses contains an internal comma. In this case, the semicolon acts as a kind of "supercomma."
Example - This forum has many moderators; but if we need more, we can always recruit some.

You may begin the second clause with a conjunctive adverb such as consequently, however, or nevertheless.
Example - Sometimes the more serious areas of this forum confuse me; consequently, I come to this one to unwind.

You should use a semicolon when the second clause is used to explain the first.
Example - Paypal donation is an important source of money; for example, generous forumers paid for last year's server fees through Paypal.

Another instance of the supercomma is when you are listing something normally comma-separated, but one or more of the individual elements requires a comma.
Example - The gang is made up of Buffy, the vampire slayer; Willow, the lesbian witch; and Xander, the everyman.




Layman's Explanation
The semicolon is the bastard child of the comma and the period. You can generally find a way to use it when you want a more forceful punctuation than a comma, but not as forceful as a period.

Laylayman's Explanation
Just use a period, you lazy fuckers.

Cynical-Chick

Eliminate the comma and hyphenate 'too' and 'serious.'

RED DAVE

Here's one:

Everyone knows about too, to and two or they're, there and their. But there is a word in English that can be spelled FOUR ways, each of them being a legitimate word.

?????

RED DAVE

lunachick

wear, where, we're, ware!!!

I win!!

VonEvilstein

I'll get back to you on this one. Best shot so far: bar, barr and barre... can anyone think of a fourth variation?

MJones

Sense, since, cents, scents?

Dirty Dog

RED DAVE

From lunachick:

[QUOTE]wear, where, we're, ware!!!

I win!! [QUOTE]

Close, but no cigar.

Any more takers?

I promise to post the answer on Sunday, April 10.

RED DAVE