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Title: Usage of Semicolons In English Books Down Almost Half In Two Decades

Link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/05/21/2122...

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: "Do not use
semicolons," wrote Kurt Vonnegut, who averaged fewer than 30 a novel (about
one every 10 pages). "All they do is show you've been to college." A study
suggests UK authors are taking Vonnegut's advice to heart; the semicolon
seems to be in terminal decline, with its usage in English books plummeting
by almost half in two decades -- from one appearing in every 205 words in
2000 to one use in every 390 words today. Further research by Lisa McLendon,
author of The Perfect English Grammar Workbook, found 67% of British students
never or rarely use the semicolon. Just 11% of respondents described
themselves as frequent users. Linguistic experts at the language learning
software Babbel, which commissioned the original research, were so struck by
their findings that they asked McLendon to give the 500,000-strong London
Student Network a 10-question multiple-choice quiz on the semicolon. She
found more than half of respondents did not know or understand how to use it.
As defined by the Oxford Dictionary of English, the semicolon is "a
punctuation mark indicating a pause, typically between two main clauses, that
is more pronounced than that indicated by a comma." It is commonly used to
link together two independent but related clauses, and is particularly useful
for juxtaposition or replacing confusing extra commas in lists where commas
already exist -- or where a comma would create a splice. The Guardian has a
semicolon quiz at the end of the article where you can test your semicolon
knowledge.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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