Comma, full stop, or semi-colon?

Question

Dear Users,I keep second-guessing myself after each and every sentence because I'm not entirely sure if I make a good use of commas and/or full stops. In the following sentences, for instance:1) I believe we should have talked things through [comma or semi-colon] we should have tried to fix things, or at least see what can be done in the next few months.2) I also wanted to be excellent at something [comma, full stop, or semi-colon] I wanted to speak Chinese well, but I failed after all these years.Thanks

David Hatton · Accepted Answer

I would caution learners not to get into the habit of using lots of semi-colons. Periods and commas are much, much more commonly used. A learner who has just been taught about semi-colons will typically use more in a brief essay than I use in a year. Page after page filled with semi-colons can be quite irritating to the reader.

As for sentences that fit well or that, as is often said

As for sentences that fit well or that, as is often said, form a complete thought, this is a tricky concept.

Let me quote two examples.

I took the garbage out; the can was full. To my mind, the semi-colon seems silly here, because the subject is so mundane.

He loved her; she died. Here, to me the semi-colon makes the sentence seem poignant. It invites the reader to ponder the close relationship between the two parts.

My advice to learners is to be cautious and conservative about using semi-colons until you feel your overall grasp of English is pretty good.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Perfect Stranger1) I believe we should have talked things through [comma or semi-colon] we should have tried to fix things, or at least see what can be done in the next few months.

Comma. The second clause repeats the first in different words. By the way, the verbs need help: "I believe we should have talked things through, we should have tried to fix things, or at least we should see what can be done in the next few months."

Perfect Stranger2) I also wanted to be excellent at something [comma, full stop, or semi-colon] I wanted to speak Chinese well, but I failed after all these years.

Full stop. If you never use a semicolon in your entire life, that will be a good thing. It is highly technical and is out of place in everyday writing. Besides, the final clause makes a semicolon impossible because it goes too far beyond the first. A semicolon would at least be technically correct if it was "I also wanted to be excellent at something; I wanted to speak Chinese well. But I failed after all these years." A semicolon is just what it sounds like, a weak colon. It marks the second clause as an amplification of the first without marking it as a direct consequence. But your original version is better.

CalifJim · Answer

Perfect Stranger
1) I believe we should have talked things through [comma or semi-colon] we should have tried to fix things, or at least see what can be done in the next few months.
2) I also wanted to be excellent at something [comma, full stop, or semi-colon] I wanted to speak Chinese well, but I failed after all these years.

Both of your examples consist of two independent clauses, so the comma is an impossible choice. To justify a comma you need a conjunction (and, or, ...).

You can't go wrong with a full stop and a capital letter (to start the second independent clause).

Reserve the semicolon for connecting clauses that are equally important and very closely related. Usually that means pairs of clauses of about equal length which make a contrast. (There are other uses for a semicolon, but these are even more specialized, and they don't apply to your examples anyway.)

Some people write with a word processor; others write with a pen or pencil.

Note, however, that even these clauses can be written as two sentences, as advised above.

Some people write with a word processor. Others write with a pen or pencil.

That's why I say you can't go wrong with a full stop.

CJ

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