> Em dashes may also add or increase emphasis but are normally treated as an aside. Think of it as a comment by the author to inject themselves, sometimes in ways which do not form a complete sentence.
A semicolon is better for this purpose. Good writing doesn't have mad tangents anyway, there should be a flow and natural transition.
> Good writing doesn't have mad tangents anyway, there should be a flow and natural transition.
In general, yes. Technical documents, research reports, news articles, and other formal publications should follow this.
Anything else which allows a bit more freedom in expression? I’d say it’s a matter of taste.
I had freewritten, generally free expression type documents in mind when I wrote my statement, e.g. blog articles or opinion pieces. The problem is 'a matter of taste' can be used to excuse/justify anything.
That's more of a feature than it is a problem.
Agree to disagree. It allows badly written stuff to be defended, I would argue more often than alternative more acceptable case scenarios.
Outside of settings requiring formalized style, people are free to write and to speak however they wish.
Others are free to dislike this.
> people are free to write and to speak however they wish.
Yes, that doesn't mean standards don't exist, nor that good and bad writing styles don't exist.
Don't be one of those 'everything is subjective' doofuses, please.
The very best part about English writing standards is that there are so many to pick from!
At the end of the day, it really is subjective: A reader either likes a style and/or finds that it is conducent to conveying meaning, or they do not.
(Speaking of unlikable styles, I'm just going to take the liberty to interpret the name-calling as your resignation on this matter. Have a nice day, comrade.)
> The very best part about English writing standards is that there are so many to pick from!
This monumentally misses the point.
> it really is subjective
And this is just the disappointing and flatly incorrect view I hoped not to see. Sigh. Have a great day/night buddy.
Semicolons start a new thought, they don't mark an aside that lets you return to the original line of thought. Like in their example:
> For example: When you read this sentence (in your mind) it should feel complete and correct. Perhaps you read in your own voice — something I don’t normally do — or without one at all.
I would have used parentheses in both places, and semicolons don't work in either one:
> For example: When you read this sentence (in your mind) it should feel complete and correct. Perhaps you read in your own voice (something I don’t normally do) or without one at all.
> Semicolons start a new thought, they don't mark an aside that lets you return to the original line of thought.
Sure they do. They're perfect for a related tangent without abounding the greater scope topic being discussed.
> I would have used parentheses in both places, and semicolons don't work in either one:
Parentheses work no question and I would argue are far more appropriate in that example since it's a minor elaboration/clarification and not a tangent, indeed, semicolons would not be appropriate for that.
A semicolon is for separating list items that follow a colon
Semicolons have more than one use.
"In regular prose, a semicolon is most commonly used between two independent clauses not joined by a conjunction to signal a closer connection between them than a period would." Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition, 407.
An em dash would be better for that purpose — good writing should flow, like an em dash.