Why the semicolon could die out
It is a piece of punctuation that has divided writers and authors for centuries.
Novelists including Virginia Woolf and Jane Austen have not shied away from using them, but that has not stopped critics branding writers who use them 'an embarrassment to their families and friends'.
Now the semicolon could be dying out, according to research.
Although once a central part of punctuation, usage of the semi-colon has almost halved over the past 20 years following Tony Blair's New Labour heyday, according to the makers of language-learning app Babbel.
Young people who do not know how to use semicolons are behind the decline, the research suggests.
Babbel used Google Ngram, a specialised version of the search engine that searches five million English-language books, to look up how often semicolons had appeared in British English between the year 2000 and 2022.
They were used after one in every 205 words in 2000 but now follow just one in every 390 words, a decline of 47 per cent since the millennium.
More than half (54 per cent) of young Britons surveyed by the app company do not know the rules around correct usage of semicolons, while 28 per cent simply do not use the mark at all in their writing.
Sofia Zambelli, a spokesman for the app company, said: 'Our findings reveal that the semicolon is an 'endangered' punctuation mark; abandoned by many British writers who might have been expected to showcase its value, and often misunderstood by younger generations.
'Our data shows that Gen Z is not rejecting the semicolon; rather, they fear using it incorrectly.
'The semicolon, in particular, presents a challenge for many English learners. Whilst searching for best-use cases to illustrate the practicality and beauty of the semicolon, we found many historical texts but fewer contemporary examples.'
The year 1781 was found to be the peak of its deployment, Babbel claimed, with one of the marks to be found, on average, every 90 words in continuous prose.
Ben Jonson, the 16th-century English poet and contemporary of Shakespeare, described the semicolon as a 'somewhat longer breath' designed to introduce a pause into a sentence, bridging the gap between a full stop and the shorter interval introduced by the comma.
Modern grammatical rules dictate that the semicolon is used to conjoin two separate clauses into a single sentence without the use of a conjunction.
A famous example from English literature comes from the opening line of Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities: 'It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.'
The versatile mark can also be used to lay out a list in prose without resorting to bulleted or numbered points.
The University of Sussex gives three firm rules for the semicolon's usage in other scenarios: 'The two sentences are felt to be too closely related to be separated by a full stop; there is no connecting word which would require a comma, such as and or but; the special conditions requiring a colon are absent.'
Italian humanists are believed to be the inventors of the semicolon, with a Venetian treatise about Mount Etna published in the year 1494 being its first appearance in writing according to Paris Review magazine.
'It was born into a time period of writerly experimentation and invention, a time when there were no punctuation rules, and readers created and discarded novel punctuation marks regularly,' Cecelia Watson wrote in the periodical, giving a précis of her 2019 book which she simply titled Semicolon.
Illustrating the punctuation mark's usage in a review of Ms Watson's tome, the New Yorker magazine's Mary Norris added in the same year: 'I don't hate semicolons; I hate writing about semicolons.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
An Olympics-style operation and the major difference between UK and US coverage: INSIDE TENNIS goes behind the scenes with TNT Sports at the French Open
It is towards the end of my peek behind the curtain when we duck into a bunker-type room, completely dark other than thousands of dials, switches and buttons - and the light coming from an enormous wall of screens. Bank on bank of monitors showing courts, crowds, backstage shots and interviews. A crew member remarks: 'That's what covering 18 courts, in 19 languages, in 49 countries looks like.' Mail Sport has gone behind the scenes on the gargantuan broadcasting operation that is TNT Sport at the French Open 2025.
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Nepo baby, 20, is spitting image of A-list mother as she stuns at the How To Train Your Dragon screening - but can YOU guess who her famous parent is?
A nepo baby looked the spitting image of her A-list mother as she attended the How To Train Your Dragon Immersive Experience screening at Frameless in London on Tuesday. The British actress, 20, looked every inch the budding star as she graced the red carpet in a stunning semi-sheer cream gown embroidered with delicate florals. Her chic floor-length ensemble featured a high neckline, long flared sleeves, and a dusky pink drape detail cinched at the waist. She added inches to her frame with pointed nude court heels and styled her brunette locks in voluminous waves, posing up a storm for the cameras. But can you guess who the nepo baby and her mother are? From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newslette r to stay in the loop. That's right! it's Nico Parker, the daughter of actress Thandiwe Newton and screenwriter Ol Parker. In addition to Nico, the showbiz couple also share a 24-year-old daughter, Ripley, and nine-year-old son, Booker. Nico shot to fame at just 14 with her Hollywood debut in Tim Burton's 2019 live-action remake of Dumbo. Since then, she has delivered a series of standout performances, from HBO's The Third Day to the hit series The Last Of Us. In 2025, she took on her biggest roles yet, starring as Astrid in the live-action remake of How To Train Your Dragon, and as Chloe, Bridget Jones's highly organised nanny, in Mad About the Boy, the long-awaited fourth instalment in the franchise. Mad About the Boy, which was released earlier this year, marked a fresh chapter for the beloved rom-com series, with Nico's character bringing new heart and humour to Bridget's chaotic life. Her portrayal of Astrid in How To Train The Dragon was equally well-received. The new movie, directed by Dean DeBlois, reimagines the 2010 animated classic with a fresh cast and breathtaking visuals. Alongside Mason Thames as Hiccup and Gerard Butler reprising his role as Stoick, Nico helped bring the emotional and action-packed story to life. A film synopsis reads: 'Set on the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, the story follows Hiccup (Mason Thames), the inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). 'Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. 'Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society. 'With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (Nico) and the village's quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding. 'As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup's friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. 'Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.' The movie is scheduled for release on June 13, 2025, and will be available in various formats, including RealD 3D, IMAX, 4DX, ScreenX, and D-Box. Reflecting on raising daughters in the spotlight, Thandiwe told Hollywood Life in a 2010 interview: 'I want my girls to feel empowered. That's the most important thing.' She mused about parenthood: 'It's amazing how you start again and you re-live your childhood. The universe has given me girls because I needed to live that girlhood again in a fresh way.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Police told of racist attack weeks before Bhim Kohli killed
An elderly man who was racially abused before being fatally attacked had told police he witnessed an assault on another Asian man yards from his home two weeks earlier, the BBC has Kohli had been walking his dog in a park in Leicestershire in September when he was punched and kicked by a 14-year-old boy while a girl, 12, filmed the BBC has learnt that Mr Kohli spoke to officers in August after he saw two white boys aged 12 and 13 racially abuse a man and throw a large rock at him near the same park where the 80-year-old encountered his own attackers. Leicestershire Police said "organisational learning" to improve logging anti-social behaviour had been identified. Mr Kohli died the day after the "intense attack" against him in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town near Leicester, for which the boy and girl, now aged 15 and 13 respectively, were both convicted of manslaughter. They are due to be sentenced on eyewitness to the attack in August, Linda Haigh, said she warned police about racially motivated problems in the area before Mr Kohli died, and believes he would still be alive had they taken her more seriously. The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was walking to Franklin Park on 17 August when he was targeted by the two boys, who were not involved in Mr Kohli's told the BBC: "One of the boys started picking up stones and throwing them at me... and then the same boy picked up a quite a large rock from the front garden of one of the houses there, and tried to throw it at me."The man, aged in his 40s, said they shouted at him to "go back to your village"."It was a throwback to back to the 80s, when it was quite commonplace to be racially abused," he said. "I was shocked that this kind of behaviour was still around society."I've not been in that situation for a long time, maybe 40 years." It was when one of the boys picked up a wooden fence post and tried to hit the man with it that others - including Mr Kohli and his daughter Susan, and their neighbour Ms Haigh - intervened, according to the said he was shocked by the "kind of behaviour from such a young age group"."The racist language, the violence used as well... they were trying to physically hurt me," he added."The anger, but more just the vitriol of the whole thing."Police were called but the pair were not arrested until three days after the death of Mr Kohli, according to the believes a greater police presence in the area following the assault could have prevented the attack on Mr Kohli two weeks later."They should have really looked at putting more presence there, more officers, maybe mobile police cars driving around," he said."They could have deterred them. It's obviously very tragic." During the trial of Mr Kohli's killers, the court was told about an occasion "a week or two" before his death when the girl convicted of his manslaughter was present while other children threw apples at jury was also shown a video she had filmed on her phone of another Asian man having a water balloon thrown at him and being racially BBC has also been told it was reported to police that in July Mr Kohli had stones thrown at him, was spat at and had been racially abused by a group of children after he told them to get off his neighbour's garage Supt Jonathan Starbuck, of Leicestershire Police, said: "Prior to Mr Kohli's death, police were aware of two reports of anti-social behaviour involving youths in the Franklin Park area which were being investigated. "Partnership work in the area following Mr Kohli's death did identify further incidents which had not been reported."He added an investigation conducted by the force, reviewed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, did not identify any "misconduct or missed opportunities which could have prevented Mr Kohli's death". The attacks have left the victim of the August assault fearful for his safety and that of his elderly parents, who also live in the area. His father, like Mr Kohli, likes to go for a walk, but since being targeted, he tells him not to, especially in the dark, he told the BBC."Even my nephews... you worry about them as well because you just don't know. It's just become more violent," he two boys involved in the August assault appeared in youth court in Leicester in December charged with racially or religiously aggravated common admitted the offences but were later dealt with out of court by way of a deferred youth caution following a referral to the youth justice panel for an out-of-court process aims to divert young people away from the criminal justice system where possible, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Ms Haigh, who was friends with Mr Kohli for more than 20 years, told the BBC she called police when she saw the two boys involved in the August assault pick up the boulder from outside her neighbour's house and throw it at the said she was aware of similar attacks by young people happening last summer in Braunstone Town and told police it needed to be "nipped in the bud"."I don't think it was taken serious enough," she said."I think they should have acted on it. I feel that we've been totally let down."Ch Supt Starbuck said: "We continue to monitor the area of Franklin Park and have engaged with the community through a local survey, drop-in centres, engagement with local schools, youth work and proactive policing patrols."
