# is this sentence gramatically correct? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173 "2012-09-28T18:59:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/41 "2012-10-01T18:46:53Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Of course, he is punctual, conscientious, and resourceful — all qualities that I am sure you will appreciate. > > That looks fine and hardly violent, if a tad self-conscious which is not the fault of the dash but rather the sentence. Obviously your opinion differs not only from mine but also all the punctuation guides I have seen, including the one I quoted. Here are some more: > [@](#): > > [Use an em dash sparingly in formal writing. In informal writing, em dashes may replace commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses to indicate added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought.](http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/dashes.asp) > [@](#): > > [The em dash (—), m dash, m-rule, or “mutton”, often demarcates a break of thought or some similar interpolation stronger than the interpolation demarcated by parentheses](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dash#Em_dash) > [@](#): > > [The dash, on the other hand, frightens nobody. As a result, many writers overwork the mark, using it like a chef’s knife to slice and dice their prose. The result can be pretty unappetizing. > … > Unlike parentheses (which tend to de-emphasize the information contained between them), dashes are more emphatic than commas.](http://grammar.about.com/od/punctuationandmechanics/a/semicolondash.htm) > [@](#): > > [Use dashes sparingly—only for those occasions when you wish to show special emphasis. They can help you communicate effectively in certain situations, but you don’t want to clutter your prose with too many of them.](http://lilt.ilstu.edu/golson/punctuation/dash.html) > [@](#): > > [ **Usage Key** > > Remember, an em dash heralds a sharp turn, a twist, or an interruption. > > **Misuse** > > An em dash isn’t a flashy substitute for a colon. Where a colon generally heralds an elaboration, an em dash signals a sudden turn or twist. > Em dashes should be reserved for flashy emphasis or punchy summary, not elucidation or elaboration. > > **Let’s Talk Style** > > Whereas parenthesis enclose a whisper, em dashes bookend a shout.]([http://www.punctuationmadesimple.com/PMSEmdash.html](http://www.punctuationmadesimple.com/PMSEmdash.html)) > [@](#): > > [You can also use the m-dash in place of a colon if you want to emphasize more dramatically the words that follow: “The mantlepiece was lined with photographs of people she loved—her mother, her grandmother, a favorite aunt.” Or you can use it to add a surprising element into a sentence: “Her family’s photographs were displayed on the mantlepiece; there were pictures of parents, grandparents, and siblings—and of Muffin, a Yorkshire terrier.”](http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/GP.html) > > [The dash ( – or — ) should be used when making a brief interruption within a statement, a sudden change of thought, an additional comment, or a dramatic qualification.](http://www.wikihow.com/Use-English-Punctuation-Correctly) Those are all from the first page of a Google search for “punctuation dash”. All those that give an opinion on the matter suggest it should be used sparingly. All agree that it marks a strong interruption - “dramatic”, “violent”, “flashy”, “abrupt” - one that (unlike parentheses or bracketing commas) adds emphasis to the material it sets off. The set-off material in this case does not demand emphasis. It is a quiet, confiding aside (as **Leo Bloom** nicely explained). **pulykamell** wants to leave it out altogether, but, if he can’t have that, he wants to draw extra attention to it with a dash. That makes no sense at all. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/42 "2012-10-01T19:00:21Z")
Nutters, the lot of them. The dash is most certainly not a shout. While emphatic, it strikes me as more in the nature of an aside. Were I reading the text aloud, a dash would indicate to me that I should lower the tone of the final clause in comparison to the previous sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/43 "2012-10-01T19:13:15Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > That’s not a ‘grammatical rule’. It is as far as most people are concerned. Grammar (or, quite often, ‘grammer’) is “any set of rules, prescriptions, or irrational biases held towards language or how language is used, especially by other people. It is purely prescriptive, by which is meant ‘arbitrary and inconsistent and utterly incompatible with how the language is used by skilled speakers and authors.’” Truly, if you can find a skilled L1 speaker of a given language who follows all of that language’s ‘grammatical’ rules, your knowledge of ‘grammar’ is so deficient you missed the last dozen mistakes that person made. ---
**Author:** ![rann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@rann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rann)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/44 "2012-10-01T19:14:21Z")
Of course, he is punctual, conscientious and resourceful. These are all qualities that you would appreciate. That’s how I would phrase it. A comma before the and in American English is largely considered outdated and is omitted. While both phrases reflect one another, the latter is not an independent phrase which is one reason to use a semicolon. Another reason to use a semicolon is in grouping with commas to show another item within the grouping. Sometimes people say that others use a semicolon to show that they went to college. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/45 "2012-10-01T19:30:38Z")
You did not just open the serial comma debate, did you? _dives for trenches_ ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/46 "2012-10-01T22:17:49Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Nutters, the lot of them. The dash is most certainly not a shout. While emphatic, it strikes me as more in the nature of an aside. Were I reading the text aloud, a dash would indicate to me that I should lower the tone of the final clause in comparison to the previous sentence. Ok, you are right and every punctuation expert is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/47 "2012-10-01T22:23:31Z")
> [@rann](#): > > Of course, he is punctual, conscientious and resourceful. These are all qualities that you would appreciate. > > That’s how I would phrase it. A comma before the and in American English is largely considered outdated and is omitted. While both phrases reflect one another, the latter is not an independent phrase which is one reason to use a semicolon. Another reason to use a semicolon is in grouping with commas to show another item within the grouping. Sometimes people say that others use a semicolon to show that they went to college. This is best. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/48 "2012-10-01T22:55:49Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > This is best. Unless, he/she can’t stand employees who are on time, respectful of others, or good at pulling things together from little to work with. Or simply for being told what he/she does or doesn’t appreciate. Then again, that would make him/her an idiot. I wonder… if this person ever saw the discussion being had about this one sentence, they’d probably dismiss the letter on the whole because of the insane levels of pedantry over such a minor detail that would otherwise go completely unnoticed. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/49 "2012-10-01T23:14:03Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Ok, you are right and every punctuation expert is wrong. Your words, not mine. _prints a run of t-shirts_ And for the record, none of the texts I have on hand that discuss punctuation use describe it as meaning a shout and in fact, one of the example sentences is “Health, friends, family — where would we be without them?” which is about as untwisted and demure a sentence as ever existed in the world. So, either one must admit that some experts must be wrong or that the dash can really be used as one likes. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/50 "2012-10-02T01:13:47Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > You did not just open the serial comma debate, did you? > > _dives for trenches_ Here is the [Straight Dope FAQ on the serial comma](http://www.seiglefamily.com/gqfaq.html#comma). It is a matter of style. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/51 "2012-10-06T01:38:12Z")
Rather than let a pointless argument die a natural death, I will add that a dash is casual or conversational, and a letter of recommendation is neither. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Breeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@Sunny\_Breeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Breeze)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/52 "2012-10-07T22:07:00Z")
A semicolon is usually followed by an independent clause (a subject and a verb). I understand what you’re trying to do - to create a pause before the words “all qualities.” You have three choices. You could use a colon. This would be the most formal, and possibly the most suitable for a resume or letter of recommendation. You could use a comma. This is also grammatically correct, but not as clear as using a colon, because there are other commas in the sentence. You could use a dash. This would be the most information option. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/53 "2012-10-08T03:18:46Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Obviously your opinion differs not only from mine but also all the punctuation guides I have seen, including the one I quoted. Here are some more: > > # Quote: > > You can also use the m-dash in place of a colon if you want to emphasize more dramatically the words that follow: “The mantlepiece was lined with photographs of people she loved—her mother, her grandmother, a favorite aunt.” Or you can use it to add a surprising element into a sentence: “Her family’s photographs were displayed on the mantlepiece; there were pictures of parents, grandparents, and siblings—and of Muffin, a Yorkshire terrier.” > > # The dash ( – or — ) should be used when making a brief interruption within a statement, a sudden change of thought, an additional comment, or a dramatic qualification. While I’m wary of accepting punctuation advice from people who don’t know how to spell “mantelpiece”, it seems to me that the first example here is similar to the sentence under discussion. This example doesn’t seem particularly emphatic; it is merely a list of “people she loved”. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/54 "2012-10-09T23:43:30Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Yeah, I don’t know why some people are so keen to strip this down so much. Nobody is on a wordage limit here, and a recommendation letter does not have to read like Ernest Hemingway or a scientific abstract. A formal but conversational tone is appropriate. There is no need to be terse. You are (presumably) trying to convey a good feeling about the candidate. > > I really do not see anything wrong with the original sentence that changing the semicolon to a comma wont fix. (A colon is certainly better than a semicolon or a dash, but it is still serious punctuational overkill.) The additional words serve no purpose, and even detract from the message. I would strike them; I prefer trenchant to discursive. ---
**Author:** ![gms453](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@gms453](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gms453)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173/55 "2012-10-10T01:24:19Z")
> [@zydecat](#): > > I am writing a letter of recommendation and don’t want to make a mistake. Is the following sentence correct? I’m not sure about the semicolon. Is there a better way to write it? > Of course, he is punctual, conscientious, and resourceful; all qualities that I am sure you will appreciate. > > Thanks! It is; that’s fine; sounds good just the way it is. FWIW: I have been on the receiving end of many, many letters of recommendation over the years. In the interests of full disclosure: the semi-colon is my favorite punctuation mark. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-gramatically-correct/636173.md?page=2)