Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2025 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Is the semicolon dead? Some grammar enthusiasts say so

The semicolon has been described as a “graceful pause” in writing. But this graceful punctuation mark is being forgotten.

Grammar and punctuation are subjects that some people have strong feelings about, and Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks to Mark Lasswell, associate op-ed editor at the Washington Post, about what the semicolon is for and why it’s fading away.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom
News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.