I’ll admit to being a bit of a grammar Nazi. It’s not that I insist that all body copy be written according to the MLA or Chicago Manual of Style; I just believe in knowing the rules before breaking them for the sake of stylish advertising. And one thing you don’t see a lot of in ad copy is the troublesome semicolon. I would say this is generally a good thing. Why prolong a phrase with such an odd looking glyph when you can use a dash or, if you’re feeling especially jaunty, split the phrase in two with a period? Still, the semicolon does serve a useful place in non-ad writing. Yet its use has been steadily on the decline. Why? Well, let’s let Paul Collins of Slate explain the mystery with his recent piece “Has Modern Life Killed the Semicolon?” Apparently, Edgar Allan Poe hated the semicolon, feeling he had been gypped out of disemboweling a full colon.
I can already sense the collective boredom of 10,000 art directors.
Whatever.
Fox
**yawn**
Whut?
Now I get the fixation with grammar (comments on other blogs) and I appreciate the lesson. I still get confused by semicolons and the like; like should I have used one back there?
Seriously, keep hammering.
The ADs aren’t bored they’re kerning.
Steffan
I’m actually more concerned about word choice; e.g., a new biz guy once sent a potential client a letter with the phrase “we want to take your business to the next hemisphere.” He didn’t narrow it down to “eastern” or “southern.” Still, most brands want to sound smart; and it’s hard to sound smart when you use poor grammar.
I should also disclose that my uncle chairs the English Education department at MU (Mizzou), so this defect must be genetic.
Places I would like to take a business: the next stratosphere, the next level, the people, the masses, China, “the moon, Alice,” higher, the limit, for granted, for a ride on a my beautiful balloon, Rhode Island, dinner and a movie, home tonight.
“if your feeling especially jaunty”
“Yet its use has been steadily on the decline.”
I find your views on the semicolon interesting and on point. Now can we talk about the apostrophe?
Irene – Hahahaha. Man, I’m so brain dead at times. I’m constantly mistyping my “your/you’re” and “it’s/its” even though I know better. This is why I find it funny when agencies want writers to proof their own stuff.
I love semi-colons; they have a purpose.
[…] Time for a Semicolonic […]
[…] So go on. Donate. Pick some tunes. Feel good about yourself for five minutes before getting back to starbursts and arguing over the finer points of semicolons. […]