A Guide to Semicolons and Em Dashes

If you’ve ever taken a class with Mr. Ruderman, you know that not only does he want your Reaction Papers –commonly known as RPs– to be grammatically correct, he also wants you to complete writing challenges, often asking you to use semicolons or double dashes in your paper. As RPs probably make up most of your grade, it’s important to get these right.

If you’re taking Mr. Ruderman’s class for the first time this year, don’t worry. Even if this doesn’t help you, Ruderman usually explains how these grammatical concepts work and attaches instructional videos to the RP assignments. The important thing to note, though, is that you can’t just go using semicolons or double dashes willy-nilly. If you don’t know how to use them and are just fulfilling the requirements, he will know. Like I said, he also grades you for grammatical correctness, so slapping a semicolon in the middle of a sentence won’t suffice. It is just as important to know how to use these grammar concepts in your RP as to complete your writing challenges.

Em Dashes

Em dashes are probably the easiest to understand, given that you also understand commas and/or parentheses. Em dashes can have pretty much the same purpose, though they aren’t as complex as commas. Before we get started, though, please remember that dashes and double dashes are different. Also, regular hyphens are also known as en dashes, and many online articles refer to them as so. 

The main noticeable thing between hyphens and em dashes is that em dashes are longer.  On Google Docs, if you hit the minus/hyphen button twice, it will automatically turn it into ‘–’ instead of ‘--’, turning the two hyphens into what is known as an em dash. Single hyphens and dashes have different uses that I won’t be getting into. While I’m not sure that Ruderman actually pays attention to whether you used a single or double hyphen, personally, I think double hyphens look better.

Now to the actual point. Here’s an example of correctly used double dashes followed by two incorrect uses:

Correct: I think flan–a baked custard dessert–is best made in small portions, rather than in one large pan.

Incorrect: Sunsets turn clouds an orange–pink.

Incorrect: After the rain–the ground was wet and slippery.

Double dashes are used as an offset to a sentence and add more emphasis than commas or parentheses, serving the same purpose. It is usually advised to use em dashes sparingly so as not to lessen their impact. 

Semicolons

Semicolons can be a little trickier. In some ways they are like a regular colon and in some ways they are like a period, but unlike the double dashes, it for the most part cannot be used as interchangeably as its counterparts.

The key thing to know about semicolons is that they connect two clauses together. These clauses must be able to stand on their own. For example, you cannot write,

I ate bad cheese; then threw up.

because ‘then threw up’ makes no sense whatsoever without the context from the previous clause. A better use of the semicolon could be:

I ate bad cheese; Later, I threw up.

Another way you can use a semicolon is when you are listing something in your writing. You can’t use it in just any list, though, but they are used to add clarity if the items themselves have commas. For example:

My favorite sweets are sherbet, because of the colors; candy canes, because they feel festive; and peanut butter cups, since chocolate and peanut butter are amazing together.

You see, by adding the semicolons between list items, the reader can differentiate between whether you are adding something to the list or merely describing an item. It can become confusing if the only separations are commas because “My favorite sweets are, because they feel festive, candy canes,” can be rearranged as, “My favorite sweets are candy canes, because they feel festive.”

Here are some easy rules to remember when using semicolons:

1. Both clauses must function independently of each other.

2. Semicolons are used to show the connection between independent clauses.

3. The letter after the semicolon is not capitalized unless it is a proper noun.

While semicolons and double dashes, when used correctly, can make you seem more sophisticated, using them incorrectly will have the opposite effect, so be careful. Semicolons and em dashes aren’t just important for succeeding in Ruderman’s class; they are also important writing tools that can add clarity and depth to your writing.

I hope this article benefited you, and if you’d like more explanation, these are the sites I used for reference while I was writing:

https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/semicolons/ - Semicolons and examples

https://prowritingaid.com/semicolon-vs-colon - Semicolons vs colons

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/punctuation-capitalization/dash/ - Using different dashes

Also, you can always ask Mr. Ruderman; I’m sure he’d be willing to explain either semicolons or em dashes to anyone who needs help.