Re: Avoid the Semicolon in Tech Writing?

["Paul Strasser" <paul -dot- strasser -at- windsor-tech -dot- com>]

Mildly interesting aside:

Yesterday I was going over some test results for my 9th-grade daughter
regarding her writing skills.  These were pretty involved tests, in which
over twenty different parameters were examined.   She tested remarkably high
on everything (proud Dad repeats that word:  Everything)  EXCEPT colon and
semi-colon usage.

The test supervisor said her score was remarkably high, but don't be too
concerned about her modest difficulty with colons and semi-colons.
Everyone, she said, has trouble with them.

Now, I don't know if this is some sort of accusation hurled at US public
education ("we must shrink the dreaded semi-colon gap!") or just the way
that modern, reasonably educated Americans use our version of the Mother
Tongue.

It did make me think that if a girl whose grammar and comprehension skills
tests at high-12th grade levels has modest difficulty understanding the
semi-colon, perhaps their usage should be reconsidered when we are writing
for an audience whose skills might not be so high.

Paul Strasser
Windsor Technologies, Inc.
2569 Park Lane, Suite 200
Lafayette, Colorado 80026
Phone:  303-926-1982
FAX:  303-926-1510
E-mail:  paul -dot- strasser -at- windsor-tech -dot- com