When I discovered the existence of Cecelia Watson’s book Semicolon, it became an automatic purchase.
Semicolon, subtitled How a misunderstood punctuation mark can improve your writing, enrich your reading and even change your life provides an overview of the history and usage of a singularly misunderstood piece of punctuation.
Having commenced an investigation in order to find a definitive standard of usage for the elusively defined pause, Watson arrives at the the perspective that there is no golden age of grammar, no time when punctuation and grammar were consistently and universally applied.
Rather than succumbing to literary anarchy, Watson seeks that by reconsidering grammar rules the reader will come to share her conclusion about “the deepest, most primary value and purpose of language: true communication and openness to others.”
