Semicolon?

Malay · Apr 11, 2015

I know I haven't contributed much, so any help would be much appreciated. I'm not sure what punctuation to use in the following sentence:

...her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most; hope.

What would be the correct, or best punctuation to use between "most" and "hope"? I do want to at least pause for effect.

It's part of a paragraph in an epilogue of a fantasy novel. Thank you!

Usher · Apr 11, 2015

A semi colon joins two closely related complete sentences together so this isn't correct.

You could use a colon, a dash or a comma as it is additional information.

her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most: hope.
or
her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most -- hope.
or
her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most, hope.
or less correct but it can work for dramatic effect.
her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most. Hope.

Malay · Apr 11, 2015

Usher said:
A semi colon joins two closely related complete sentences together so this isn't correct.

You could use a colon, a dash or a comma as it is additional information.

her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most: hope.
or
her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most -- hope.
or
her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most, hope.
or less correct but it can work for dramatic effect.
her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most. Hope.

Thank you! Your suggestions aren't just correct, they look better than the semicolon too.

Cheers!

rwm4768 · Apr 11, 2015

Personally, I'd go with a period. However, I believe a comma is actually the correct punctuation here, as hope is an appositive (I think). I like the look of the period better, though.

cornflake · Apr 11, 2015

I would not suggest a period. I generally can't stand fragments like that.

I'd use an em dash.

JB Hare · Apr 11, 2015

I'll vote for the period. I love when I come across that in fiction.

SerenaAkeroyd · Apr 12, 2015

I second the em dash.

Anna Spargo-Ryan · Apr 12, 2015

I'd use a colon. Colons serve to introduce the part following a complete sentence, which this is. They're kind of like saying "by which I mean ..." or "which is to say ...".

I love sentence fragments, but in this case I think the hope on its own is a bit naff.

Maryn · Apr 12, 2015

I'd go for the colon.

Of course, at some point in the future an editor or house style may make this decision for you, whether you agree or not.

Maryn, who doesn't necessary agree with house styles

Malay · Apr 12, 2015

Thank you, all!

Jamesaritchie · Apr 12, 2015

In thirty-five years, I've never seen a good use of a semicolon in fiction. It a;most always means teh writer didn't plan the sentence, or didn't look for a way to rewrite it. Unless there's a list involved, the same is true of the colon. Either is a sure sign there's a better way to write the sentence. Or, if you decide you must keep teh sentence as it is for some reason, a better way to punctuate it.

Maryn · Apr 12, 2015

I respectfully disagree with James. I have seen excellent use of both the semicolon and the colon in fiction. I presume we don't read the same books.

Maryn: colon user

Usher · Apr 12, 2015

I also disagree. Semi-colons can be used to great effect to improve flow of a paragraph. To reject any one particular punctuating mark out of hand is in my view a folly; they all serve a purpose and have an impact on the writing. If a semi-colon is what works then use it. In this case it does not work.

yetanotherheather · Apr 12, 2015

I vote for the colon as well. You could probably get away with an em dash or even a period, but I think the colon is the cleanest in this situation.

While I also (very) respectfully disagree with Jamesaritchie, I think he brings up a good point. All of these forms of punctuation can be effective. Used sparingly, they can add variety to your sentence structure and clarity to your writing. When overused, however, they become distracting and often seem like a crutch for weak writing.

BethS · Apr 12, 2015

Malay said:
What would be the correct, or best punctuation to use between "most" and "hope"? I do want to at least pause for effect.

A colon or an em-dash. Or a period. Let "hope" be its own sentence.

blacbird · Apr 12, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
In thirty-five years, I've never seen a good use of a semicolon in fiction.

I understand you really like Ray Bradbury.

caw

guttersquid · Apr 12, 2015

One use of the colon is precisely for these kinds of sentences, so I would use either a colon, or give "Hope" it's own sentence.

...her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most: hope.
...her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most. Hope.

If you wanted an even more dramatic pause, you could give "Hope" it's own paragraph.

...her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most.

Hope.

rwm4768 · Apr 13, 2015

Now that I've looked into it more, a colon is the best method that is also grammatically correct. Using a period isn't grammatically correct, but it can work in fiction.

Malay · Apr 13, 2015

Thanks again everyone. I'm going with the period. Colon, although correct, looks too... formal.

TheAmir · Apr 14, 2015

I'd use a colon. A dash usually means a pause, and while that -could- work, I think a colon would be more correct in this case, personally.

Thomas Vail · Apr 15, 2015

guttersquid said:
One use of the colon is precisely for these kinds of sentences, so I would use either a colon, or give "Hope" it's own sentence.

...her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most: hope.
...her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most. Hope.

If you wanted an even more dramatic pause, you could give "Hope" it's own paragraph.

...her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most.

Hope.

To reinforce the above, it really depends on the narrative tone you're going for. To just create examples whole cloth, if I was trying to go for a dramtic tone at the end of a chapter, I'd use the period, then give 'hope' its own paragraph. If it was a statement in the middle of a page, I'd feel the colon would fit better.

Reziac · Apr 17, 2015

Or another option: break it up into its own paragraph, so Hope is emphasized as its own thing.

her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most.

Hope.

jae_s1978 · Apr 30, 2015

I'd suggest either a colon or an em dash.

infinitefrank · Apr 30, 2015

I love Ray Bradbury and I love semicolons!

...her spoken assurances gave everyone what they needed the most; hope.

...her words spoke vital assurances to them; they needed hope.

Semicolon?

Malay

Usher

Malay

rwm4768

practical experience, FTW

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

JB Hare

SerenaAkeroyd

Anna Spargo-Ryan

Just pokin' about

Maryn

At Sea

Malay

Jamesaritchie

Maryn

At Sea

Usher

yetanotherheather

BethS

blacbird

guttersquid

I agree with Roxxsmom.

rwm4768

practical experience, FTW

Malay

TheAmir

Thomas Vail

What?

Reziac

Resident Alien

jae_s1978

infinitefrank

Padawan