Free Republic 2nd Qtr 2025 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $79,800
98%  
Woo hoo!! And we're now over 98%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

Keyword: semicolons

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • Semicolons Becoming Increasingly Rare; Their Disappearance Should Be Resisted

    05/21/2025 12:53:11 PM PDT · by Red Badger · 135 replies
    Study Finds ^ | May 21, 2025 | Roslyn Petelin, The University of Queensland
    A recent study has found a 50% decline in the use of semicolons over the last two decades. The decline accelerates a longterm trend: “In 1781, British literature featured a semicolon roughly every 90 words; by 2000, it had fallen to one every 205 words. Today, there’s just one semicolon for every 390 words.” Further research reported that 67% of British students never or rarely use a semicolon; more than 50% did not know how to use it. Just 11% of respondents described themselves as frequent users. These findings may not be definitive. According to the Guardian, the Google Books...