A Dash or a Semicolon

[Terry]

A - or A semicolon ;

There is some thought that you use one or the other.
I mostly use a Semicolon but use a Dash if I want a slightly longer pause (not sure if that's their proper name)
some old time writers used two or even three dashes in a row.

If I was judging I would accept either.

Cheers Terry

[Shelley Hansen]

I'm so glad you raised this Terry!

Since entering written poetry competitions my former (school days) understanding of semicolons, colons, dashes and ellipses has been entirely turned on its head and replaced with a high level of confusion!

I look forward to the responses and discussion to follow (...) (-) (:) !!!!!!!

Cheers, Shelley

[Terry]

Hi Shelley,

My school days are undoubtedly further back than yours, and I have often found myself in a similar quandary as you.

Cheers Terry

[warooa]

Before anyone makes the mistake that I just did, don't do it.

Thinking I'm clever I remembered seeing the 'punctuation' topic in the recurring Doovalaki threads so over I go seeing this must've been covered somewhere in the 17 pages.

Well, interestingly (or otherwise) the first couple of pages touches on the use of a coma to break a sentence as opposed to a full stop thus creating two separate sentences. From there it goes onto judges, their interpretations, limitations, reservations, occupations etc. From there it moves onto the ABPA magazine, folk music and man flu before briefly flirting with apostrophe use before winding up.

Maybe Manfred can re-title it?

Anyway, I think a semicolon has a specific use - between two independent clauses (insert Santa joke here )
For a pause I use a dash for a short pause and ellipses for longer thinking music pauses.

Marty

[Maureen K Clifford]

I just use what looks pretty

[Bob Pacey]

la la la lala la la here we go again.


get out and do some performances people ya getting bored.

Go busking if ya can


Bob

[Terry]

Or better still sharpen your pens and write a few poems to post here.

[Heather]

But Terry, if we write a poem, should we not write with the correct punctuation?

[Terry]

Hi Heather
I'm much the same as you.
As I mentioned I mostly use semicolons, but If I'm after a definite pause, I now often use a dash.
I notice for whatever reason, more dashes seem to be creeping into my writing of late - you can also overdo it think.

Mind you I'm sure you're well aware of my limitations in these matters.

Terry

[Heather]

Punctuation has probably changed a bit as well as language Terry. You do tend to see more dashes these days; maybe because people are unsure of how to use semi colons! If in doubt, use a dash! I wasn't taught how to use them at school (from memory). I remember a judge told me once that when judging poems there was one poet whose writing she could easily pick because of the use of dashes.