--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We might also want to use a semicolon to…" description: "\"“We might also want to use a semicolon to hold together two sentences to avoid giving the reader too much time to think about the first sentence before..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/jenny-baranick-17184_bank-account_we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to_1236650.jpg" --- # We might also want to use a semicolon to hold together two… ![“We might also want to use a semicolon to hold together two sentences to avoid giving the reader too much time to think about the first sentence before we hit them with the second one. For example, let’s say that I was writing an email to my husband explaining why the bank account might not be…” quote by Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/jenny-baranick-17184_bank-account_we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to_1236650.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/jenny-baranick-17184_bank-account_we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to_1236650.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/jenny-baranick-17184_bank-account_we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to_1236650.jpg) > ““We might also want to use a semicolon to hold together two sentences to avoid giving the reader too much time to think about the first sentence before we hit them with the second one. For example, let’s say that I was writing an email to my husband explaining why the bank account might not be quite as full as it was earlier in the day. I might include this sentence: I just bought a plane ticket to Cabo; Sharon just went through a divorce and she needs me.”” [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Using a semicolon can link ideas tightly, preventing the reader from lingering too long on the first clause before delivering the next point. **In simple terms:** Semicolons keep sentences connected and fast‑paced. Key Takeaway Use semicolons to maintain momentum. Themes writing punctuation clarity Mood practical analytical Type instructional technical When to use this quote - email composition - creative writing - marketing copy - academic prose Key Concepts sentence flow reader engagement Questions to Reflect On - When is a semicolon more effective than a period? - How does pacing affect reader comprehension? A Different Perspective Overuse can make prose feel rushed or confusing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bank account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-account/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Semicolon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/semicolon/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The semicolon, my friends, is the punctuation mark we use to join two complete sentences. When we want to separate two complete sentences, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/the-semicolon-my-friends-is-the-punctuation-mark-we-use-to-join-two/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [I don't even know how to use a semicolon to this day; I use a comma every time. And you know what? If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannibal-buress/i-don-t-even-know-how-to-use-a-semicolon-to-this-day-i-use-a-comma/) [Hannibal Buress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannibal-buress/) > [“Use the semicolon like you would use any powerful weapon (your best pick-up line or your most effective push-up bra): carefully and sparingly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/use-the-semicolon-like-you-would-use-any-powerful-weapon-your-best/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“So we’re seemingly in quite a pickle. Sometimes a period provides too much pause between these two sentences, but the comma doesn’t provide enough.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/so-we-re-seemingly-in-quite-a-pickle-sometimes-a-period-provides-too/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [If a period is a stop sign, then what kind of traffic flow is created by other marks? The comma is a speed bump;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-peter-clark/if-a-period-is-a-stop-sign-then-what-kind-of-traffic-flow-is-created/) [Roy Peter Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-peter-clark/) > [I use a whole lot of half-assed semicolons; there was one of them just now; that was a semicolon after 'semicolons,' and another one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-use-a-whole-lot-of-half-assed-semicolons-there-was-one-of-them-just/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Semicolons . . . signal, rather than shout, a relationship. . . . A semicolon is a compliment from the writer to the reader.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/semicolons-signal-rather-than-shout-a-relationship-a-semicolon-is-a/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [“Nora— Forgive me for copyediting, but it must be said—you have raped the semicolon yet again. Stop it. It wasn’t asking for it no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/nora-forgive-me-for-copyediting-but-it-must-be-said-you-have-raped/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) > [It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a semicolon than a period. The period tells you that that is that; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/it-is-almost-always-a-greater-pleasure-to-come-across-a-semicolon/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“The stops point out, with truth, the time of pause A sentence doth require at ev'ry clause. t ev'ry comma, stop while one you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-hartley/the-stops-point-out-with-truth-the-time-of-pause-a-sentence-doth/) Cecil Hartley > [“The American writer Donald Barthelme wrote that the semicolon is “ugly, ugly as a tick on a dog’s belly”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-american-writer-donald-barthelme-wrote-that-the-semicolon-is-ugly/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Sometimes you get a glimpse of a semicolon coming, a few lines farther on, and it is like climbing a steep path through woods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/sometimes-you-get-a-glimpse-of-a-semicolon-coming-a-few-lines-farther/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [How hideous is the semicolon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/how-hideous-is-the-semicolon/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“Academics love the semicolon; their hankering after logic demands a division which is more emphatic than a comma, but not quite as absolute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-klemperer/academics-love-the-semicolon-their-hankering-after-logic-demands-a/) [Victor Klemperer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-klemperer/) > [“You didn’t put a semicolon there — God did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-brownn/you-didn-t-put-a-semicolon-there-god-did/) [Eleanor Brownn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-brownn/) ## More by Jenny Baranick > [“The difference between lay and lie is like the difference between sadism and masochism: one means doing something to someone (or something) else, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/the-difference-between-lay-and-lie-is-like-the-difference-between/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“We use the en dash when we want to express a range of values: Goldilocks will only sleep on Egyptian cotton sheets with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/we-use-the-en-dash-when-we-want-to-express-a-range-of-values/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“Lacks commitment: I suppose I could marry Dan. Acknowledges commitment: I’m supposed to marry Dan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/lacks-commitment-i-suppose-i-could-marry-dan-acknowledges-commitment/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“First impressions stick. That’s why it’s so important that we do tedious things like remember to wear deodorant, brush our teeth, and insert commas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/first-impressions-stick-that-s-why-it-s-so-important-that-we-do/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“The semicolon, my friends, is the punctuation mark we use to join two complete sentences. When we want to separate two complete sentences, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/the-semicolon-my-friends-is-the-punctuation-mark-we-use-to-join-two/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“Guys who kiss like they’re giving CPR should have to attend kissing classes. If I take out “who kiss like they’re giving CPR,” this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/guys-who-kiss-like-they-re-giving-cpr-should-have-to-attend-kissing/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“You may think that you don't need to worry about actually learning the grammar rules because spell check and grammar check will come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/you-may-think-that-you-don-t-need-to-worry-about-actually-learning/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“In high school, I was such a slut. And I was not alone; most girls in my high school were total sluts. We didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/in-high-school-i-was-such-a-slut-and-i-was-not-alone-most-girls-in-my/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“I am the English teacher who teaches the “boring stuff”— I teach a class on grammar called Writing Skills. My students think I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/i-am-the-english-teacher-who-teaches-the-boring-stuff-i-teach-a-class/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“A comma splice means that a comma has been inserted between two complete sentences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/a-comma-splice-means-that-a-comma-has-been-inserted-between-two/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“Incorrect: I use to be the most popular guy in school, but now I am the Thursday night trivia king at the local bar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/incorrect-i-use-to-be-the-most-popular-guy-in-school-but-now-i-am-the/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“Dictionaries are like vitamins and floss; we buy them and then never use them. Even I, an English teacher, a lover of words, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/dictionaries-are-like-vitamins-and-floss-we-buy-them-and-then-never/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“One of the most pressing questions of our time is arguably this: Does size matter? Is it about quantity or quality? Is it the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/one-of-the-most-pressing-questions-of-our-time-is-arguably-this-does/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“Not only can rearranging our sentences to avoid ending them in prepositions sound pretentious, it’s also unnecessary. Grammar experts agree that it’s perfectly acceptable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/not-only-can-rearranging-our-sentences-to-avoid-ending-them-in/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“Subject = Boat Verb = Sank Completes a thought = If you went up to someone and said, “The big boat sank,” the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/subject-boat-verb-sank-completes-a-thought-if-you-went-up-to-someone/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) [Explore all 38 Jenny Baranick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) ## More Bank account quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [“What constitutes an American? Not color nor race nor religion. Not the pedigree of his family nor the place of his birth. Not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ickes/what-constitutes-an-american-not-color-nor-race-nor-religion-not-the/) Harold Ickes > [“Romantic literature often presents the individual as somebody caught in a struggle against the state and the market. Nothing could be further from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/romantic-literature-often-presents-the-individual-as-somebody-caught/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“War is always more complex. Economics, history, religion all have a role, but not for the ones dodging the bullets. They just get blown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-carter/war-is-always-more-complex-economics-history-religion-all-have-a-role/) [Bill Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-carter/) > [Man: I want to share everything with you. woman: okay let's start with your bank account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-nkandi/man-i-want-to-share-everything-with-you-woman-okay-let-s-start-with/) [Julia Nkandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-nkandi/) > [I actually love Twitter and Instagram. I do think it's so strange to think that 20 years ago, people would never have known personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/i-actually-love-twitter-and-instagram-i-do-think-it-s-so-strange-to/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [As a joke, I would love to stand in line at ATM machines, and when people put in their PIN, I yell Got it!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/as-a-joke-i-would-love-to-stand-in-line-at-atm-machines-and-when/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [ARISTOCRACY, n. Government by the best men. (In this sense the word is obsolete; so is that kind of government.) Fellows that wear downy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/aristocracy-n-government-by-the-best-men-in-this-sense-the-word-is/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [I had no idea of the size of my bank account as a teen, and I didn't care to know. That was my mom's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chlumsky/i-had-no-idea-of-the-size-of-my-bank-account-as-a-teen-and-i-didn-t/) [Anna Chlumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chlumsky/) > [Prayer is not a check request asking for things to God. It is a deposit slip-a way to depositing God's character into our bankrupt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-is-not-a-check-request-asking-for-things-to-god-it-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He’s changed?” “Yes. He’s started hanging out with a different crowd, a richer crowd. The men are all so arrogant. They don’t doubt themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-cooperman/he-s-changed-yes-he-s-started-hanging-out-with-a-different-crowd-a/) [Kathy Cooperman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-cooperman/) > [If a person lies to you about what's in their bank account, they'll lie to you about other things as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-brinkley/if-a-person-lies-to-you-about-what-s-in-their-bank-account-they-ll/) [Christie Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-brinkley/) > [Secret bank accounts are for laundering dirty money. Heads of state at the UN should put an end them. That would be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/secret-bank-accounts-are-for-laundering-dirty-money-heads-of-state-at/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [The battle for the airwaves cannot be limited to only those who have the bank accounts to pay for the battle and win it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/the-battle-for-the-airwaves-cannot-be-limited-to-only-those-who-have/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) [Browse all 470 Bank account quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-account/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We might also want to use a semicolon to hold together two sentences to avoid giving the reader too much time to think about the first sentence before we hit them with the second one. For example, let’s say that I was writing an email to my husband explaining why the bank account might not be quite as full as it was earlier in the day. I might include this sentence: I just bought a plane ticket to Cabo; Sharon just went through a divorce and she needs me.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jenny Baranick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to-hold-together-two-sentences/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bank account" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to-hold-together-two-sentences/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/jenny-baranick-17184_bank-account_we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to_1236650.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/jenny-baranick-17184_bank-account_we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to_1236650.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/jenny-baranick-17184_bank-account_we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to_1236650.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We might also want to use a semicolon to hold together two sentences to avoid giving the reader too much…” — Jenny Baranick", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jenny Baranick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We might also want to use...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to-hold-together-two-sentences/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/we-might-also-want-to-use-a-semicolon-to-hold-together-two-sentences/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```