Many people have trouble with punctuation. The apostrophe is undoubtedly the most misunderstood and misused of all forms of punctuation (as the image below demonstrates – a rare example of two unnecessary apostrophes in one word!), but the semicolon is probably next. Anna Heyward’s article ‘Ugly, Ugly as a Tick on a Dog’s Belly’ (Meanjin, September 2014) traces the history of the semicolon, concluding (as you’ll have gathered from her title) that the semicolon is ultimately an aesthetic aberration and of little use.
Contact me
Dr Campbell Aitken PhD BSc
M: +61 (0)401 321 172
E: cka@express-ewr.com.au-
From the blog…