Semicolons bring the drama; that's why I love them

Debate over the title’s semicolon

• Large sub-thread on whether “Semicolons bring the drama; that’s why I love them” misuses a semicolon.
• Some argue a colon or em dash would be better, calling the second clause an explanation, not a parallel one; others say the semicolon is fine because both sides are independent clauses and closely related.
• Disagreement over whether “if it works with a comma it works with a semicolon” is valid; opponents call that a misunderstanding that leads to comma splices.
• Multiple style guides (Chicago, AP, Merriam–Webster) are invoked to argue semicolons should usually join independent clauses, though some note they’re often used more flexibly in practice and in literature.

Prescriptivism vs descriptivism

• One side: written language needs relatively stable rules for clarity; style guides are mostly descriptive and conservative and help avoid ambiguity.
• Other side: declaring language “wrong” often backfires because usage is broader than school rules; semicolon use is heavily stylistic, especially in poetry and casual writing.
• Several note how many “rules” (no sentence-starting “And/But”, “fewer vs less”, etc.) are faddish rather than historically grounded.

How and why people use semicolons

• Suggested heuristics: use a semicolon when a period feels too abrupt; the two resulting sentences should still make sense alone.
• Others see semicolons as “silent conjunctions” or “soft periods,” often replaceable by “and,” “therefore,” or a period.
• Some enjoy them for adding nuance, hierarchy, and rhythm—likening them to another outline level or to nested code; others complain about overuse and long, fatiguing sentences.
• Teachers and tests sometimes encourage avoiding semicolons or using at most one, reinforcing their reputation as advanced or risky punctuation.

LLMs, dashes, and punctuation style

• Noted that large language models frequently use em dashes, usually without surrounding spaces; some find this unusual relative to typical web writing.
• Discussion touches on regional differences (US em dash vs spaced en dash), phone autocorrect habits, and speculation about stylistic or watermarking reasons.

Skepticism about semicolons

• A critical view lists downsides: most people misuse them; subtle pause-length distinctions are lost on many readers; simpler symbol sets are preferable; and long sentences are undesirable.