Semicolon Appreciation Society
After all the recent discussion of the semicolon (in the NYTimes and other places) I couldn't resist the urge to make Semicolon Appreciation Society T-Shirts. Because, really, if a thing is worth talking about, it's certainly worth wearing.
Here's the back (on the white/light shirts only, no back printing on dark shirts):
I also made some 3x5 stickers, so you can edit signs to add semicolons where they ought to be:
And, of course, a membership card:
Although I'm not happy with the wording of it. Anyone want to suggest new wording that actually, you know, includes a semicolon?
I was thinking that the Semicolon Appreciation Society's bylaws should be like those of humorous WWII servicemen's associations, with riddles and having to forfeit the price of a drink if you can't write a sentence including a semicolon on demand. Suggestions for further bylaws entertained in the comments.
Thanks are due to Garth, who recklessly encouraged me, and India Amos, who suggested the completely wonderful Cooper Poster font as the one that included the platonic ideal of the semicolon form.
Here's the back (on the white/light shirts only, no back printing on dark shirts):
I also made some 3x5 stickers, so you can edit signs to add semicolons where they ought to be:
And, of course, a membership card:
Although I'm not happy with the wording of it. Anyone want to suggest new wording that actually, you know, includes a semicolon?
I was thinking that the Semicolon Appreciation Society's bylaws should be like those of humorous WWII servicemen's associations, with riddles and having to forfeit the price of a drink if you can't write a sentence including a semicolon on demand. Suggestions for further bylaws entertained in the comments.
Thanks are due to Garth, who recklessly encouraged me, and India Amos, who suggested the completely wonderful Cooper Poster font as the one that included the platonic ideal of the semicolon form.
Labels: semicolons, shirts
This entry was posted by Erin, on
Friday, February 22, 2008.
You can leave your response.
10:50 AM
I think my semicolon muscles have atrophied; I need to flex them a bit. (Does that work?)
In my casual writing, I generally use a dash where a semicolon would probably be more appropriate.
11:11 AM
The easiest way to work semicolons in there would be to make one of the list items contain a comma; then you'd have to use a semicolon to separate them. To wit:
“. . . is a member in good standing of the Society; charged with performing all the duties and obligations required of members; and entitled to all rights and privileges pertaining thereto, where allowable by law.”
11:39 AM
I like indiamos's suggestion, but I would change the wording slightly to make it more "list-like" as shown in the following example:
“. . . is a member in good standing of the Society; is charged with performing all the duties and obligations required of members; is entitled to all rights and privileges pertaining thereto, where allowable by law.”
I'll try to think of something to add to the list.
3:37 PM
The semicolon? How about some love for the colon? Oh, wait...
10:32 PM
I think the membership card employ a different function of the semicolon. I'm of the opinion that creating a complex sentence without using a conjunction is the most noble use of the semicolon; using it in a list necessitates using a comma and thus implies a subservience or inferiority to a much baser punctuation mark.
My suggestion:
...is a member is good standing of the Society. Good standing is contingent upon the performance of all duties and obligations required of members; a failure to uphold such duties and obligations shall be considered a repudiation of the Society and degrades one's standing within the Society. A member in good standing is entitled to all rights and privileges pertaining thereto where allowable by law; the Society's regulations, while just and right in all possible ways, have been deemed illegitimate when in conflict with state, municipal, and national laws.
It's not perfect and uses more commas than semicolons, but I think it's a decent start.
9:22 AM
The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar is proud to extend its embrace to include warm appreciation of the semicolon.
9:27 AM
Indiamos' suggestion doesn't work because he/she is consistently using the semicolon incorrectly! Commas and semicolons are not interchangeable; a semicolon requires that both sides of the sentence be complete sentences unto themselves. When semicolons are used in a list, they follow a colon.
9:59 AM
@L: Where on earth did you get such a notion? Please see CMS 15 6.60 and 6.126.
I think "L" must be a Society for the Advancement of Colons member who is attempting to infiltrate our group!
1:03 PM
The Semicolon's Dream Journal mentions the Semicolon Appreciation Society in the Feb. 24 entry:
http://oneletterwords.com/weblog/?c=Semicolon
10:45 AM
A thorough examination of a semicolon requires a semicolonoscopy.
5:23 PM
Delighted to see all this fuss because I am a walking semicolon! I had a third of my colon removed in 2000 after a tumor appeared; thus, I have a special affinity for the semicolon!
Keep up the crusade!
8:49 PM
Ah! Brilliant. I love the semicolon--but cannot resist inserting a comma here:
The semi-colon is not used enough; the comma, too often.
9:23 PM
The platonic ideal of the semicolon approximates a vertical representation of 09, zero-nine. Therefore, I think that 2009 should be branded the year of the semicolon as soon as possible.
6:06 PM
yeah, I'm gonna need one of those shirts. Details! :)
Thanks as always, Erin!
4:22 PM
@indiamos
Appeal to authority is one of the classic rhetorical devices used to dupe gullible listeners. By what right does the CMS rule? None! Use semicolons however you like;
That said, I personally view the use of the semicolon in a list as a base and degrading use of a noble mark; the calling of the semicolon is as a conjunction.
6:56 PM
I am a technical writer. There are very few places in my line of work where it would not be better to use two sentences instead of a semicolon.
8:03 AM
I've always thought of the semicolon as an alternative for the conjunction "and" in a compound sentence; now I wonder, am I wrong?
8:38 AM
Another way:
“. . . is a member in good standing of the Society; hereby is charged with performing all the duties and obligations required of members; and entitled to all rights and privileges pertaining thereto, where allowable by law.”
10:58 AM
Like Chris I tend to use the dash - it shows up better when I have a space before and after - you can't do that with a semi!
Anything about the overuse of the explanation point?
10:59 AM
For wording of the membership card: [full colon, another orphan]
"...is a member in good standing of the Society;[first semicolon] he or she is charged with the duties and obligations of advocating the proper use of the revered semicolon; [second semicolon]of protecting and defending it against the hordes of semiliterate semicolondroppers; [third semicolon]and of explaining, to the benefit of the expectant masses, the utility, beauty, clarity, [series, or Harvard comma] and sensitivity of this most misunderstood of all literary tools.
There are NO rights or privileges pertaining herein; [fourth semicolon] defense of the evered semicolon is reward sufficient.
1:59 PM
A response for Karin:
No!
2:32 PM
I use/abuse semicolons on a regular and consistent basis; I also make liberal use of ellipses (...). Punctuation for fun and profit!
3:18 PM
Oh, Lord! I am such a geek! Really enjoyed this article!
(I am also an admissted exclaimation point abuser!)
3:39 PM
Dashes are so violent; they are like little sentence-slashing razor blades. On the other hand, semicolons are a pleasant reminder to the reader to pause for a breath. Thanks for helping me honor this oft-overlooked punctuation mark.
4:47 PM
These are most appealing and for a good cause; however, I still don't think the semi will survive the century. Sadly.
Digging your site. If you ever want to stop by, I am debuting "Grammarmama," a new mini-series on my own blog, Crabmommy. As a former grammar teacher I have an ear and an eye out for egregious grammar-mangling. Grammarmama aims to help moms help their kids (and themselves) speak gooder as they grow.
crabmommy.blogspot.com
7:09 PM
to crabmommy
It's "more good."
9:00 PM
I think "better" would be better.
10:26 PM
I like semicolons. There's nothing like a good compound-complex sentence. Unfortunately, I actually have a college teacher who seems against them. Joyous will be the day, next week, when I will leave her class forever. Until then I will hoard my precious punctuation for those who really appreciate it. ;)
10:40 PM
..."explanation point?"
Please explain Karin.
10:47 PM
I challenge my students to sprinkle the semi-c liberally in their writing; it adds a bit of style to otherwise abysmal adolescent prose.
7:39 PM
Um, to the commenter who thought I should have used the word "better" in my comment, rather than "gooder."....Ya think?
It was deliberate.
A joke, that is. :)
No wonder we grammar geeks are accused of being humorless. Apparently quite a few of us are.