Title
Semicolon : the past, present, and future of a misunderstood mark / Cecelia Watson ; [illustrations by Anthony Russo].
Edition
First edition.
ISBN
9780062853059 (hardcover)
0062853058 (hardcover)
9780062853066
0062853066
9780062917935
0062917935
9780062917942
0062917943
Published
New York : Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2019]
Language
English
Description
213 pages : illustrations ; 19 cm
Call Number
PE1450 .W38 2019
Dewey Decimal Classification
428.2/3
Summary
Charts the rise and fall of this infamous punctuation mark, which for years was the trendiest one in the world of letters. But in the nineteenth century, as grammar books became all the rage, the rules of how we use language became both stricter and more confusing, with the semicolon a prime example. Watson reveals how traditional grammar rules make us less successful at communication with each other than we might think. She argues that even the most die-hard grammar fanatics would be better served by tossing the rule books and learning a better way to engage with language.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-206) and index.
Introduction: love, hate, and semicolons
Deep history: the birth of the semicolon
The science of semicolons: American grammar wars
sexy semicolons
Loose women and liquor laws: the semicolon wreaks havoc in Boston
The minutiae of mercy
Carving semicolons in stone
Semicolon savants
Persuasion and pretension: are semicolons for snobs?
Conclusion: against the rules?
