Emdashes—Modern Times Between the Lines

The Basics:
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Before it moved to The New Yorker:
Ask the Librarians

Best of Emdashes: Hit Parade
A Web Comic: The Wavy Rule

 

If you’re old enough to understand that reference, you’re old enough to write a letter to your favorite punctuation mark! If you’re not old enough, that’s OK; we would love to have, and if possible, exploit, your unique Gen-Y take on the matter. If you’re too old to have listened to a Sinéad O’Connor song sixty-five times in a row, we especially welcome your submissions, because you remember when paper was paper and music was music and people didn’t sprinkle around exclamation points so promiscuously. To all of you, we issue this grave but encouraging reminder: This is the last day to enter to win a signed, specially decorated copy of Ben Greenman’s book What He’s Poised to Do, and to win our hearts and the deep and eternal regard of your fellow man. We can’t wait to see what you do, but hurry. (No exclamation point, as a gesture of respect to our elders—for there are still, at the time of this writing, people older than ourselves.) —Emily Gordon

Very much related: National Punctuation Day.

Comments

Dear semicolon,

My friends all say that we spend too much time together; they think you are a bad influence. My college lecturers think I’m addicted to you; they’d like me to see other punctuation. But we know better, don’t we? Without you, my sentences would be simple; my writing would be all-too-choppy. You complete me; that is, you complete my essays. I would be quite lost without you.

With much affection,
Su

Su, I’ll move this to the main entry page! This letter alone validates the semicolon for all time.

Oops, sorry. I thought I was probably in the wrong place since there were no other comments. (Is there a “blushing” emoticon?)

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2008 Webby Awards Official Honoree