Did she use a semicolon correctly?

Question

I was reading through random quotes and found this:

What terrified me will terrify others; and I need only describe the spectre which had haunted my midnight pillow.

It's from Mary Shelley, in case you're curious.

I was wondering, though, if she uses the semicolon correctly. I've always been taught not to put them before any transition words and told that if you can replace one with a comma that you've used it wrong.

Maybe my idea of commas and periods is wrong? I'm not sure. Either way, it's been on my mind and this seems like a good place to ask.

Possible duplicate of How does one correctly use a semicolon? — NVZ, Jan 28 '17 at 03:14
How could Mary Shelley possibly be "wrong", given that punctuation is a matter of style, convention, and personal choice, and she a noted literary luminary? — tchrist, Jan 28 '17 at 03:16
Keep in mind that punctuation usage and "norms" change over time; and Mary Shelley's usage can't fairly be "held up" to some practice of today that can allegedly be called correct or incorrect. — Arm the good guys in America, Jan 28 '17 at 05:28
that you've used it wrong - according to who? There is no central authority for the English language, and it changes over time.. — user91988, Dec 18 '18 at 16:31

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 28 '17 at 03:17

1

One way of finding out is to exchange the two halves of the sentence and see if it still makes sense:

I need only describe the spectre which had haunted my midnight pillow; and what terrified me will terrify others.

As can be seen, the sentence still makes perfect sense, and so the use of a semicolon is appropriate.

answered Jan 28 '17 at 03:17

Mick

9,410

1

One sect of the semicolon religion holds that any conjunction should be dropped following a semicolon. If there's a conjunction a comma should be used. – Hot Licks Jan 28 '17 at 03:23
Other sects hold that it is an abomination and should not be used at all. I'll defer to Mrs Shelley. – Mick Jan 28 '17 at 03:27
Those are the heretics. – Hot Licks Jan 28 '17 at 17:18
@HotLicks Hyper-Calvinists, I'd say. – Mick Jan 28 '17 at 17:43
Redcoats. The main religion is the Semicolonials. – Hot Licks Jan 28 '17 at 17:45

Did she use a semicolon correctly?

1 Answers1