RIP (nearly) – the semi-colon.

I know this is a subject that has cropped up before but not in relation to bids; I am making a small attempt to correct that.

Here are a couple of comments on the humble semi-colon:

“The semi-colon is a pretentious comma; a comma with a degree”. I don’t know who said this, but it is either true or not true, depending upon your point of view (and probably your generation).

Kurt Vonnegut once quipped: “Do not use semi-colons. They represent absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.”

George Orwell didn’t like them either; he once informed his editor at Secker & Warburg that in his novel Coming Up For Air (1939) he had decided not to include semi-colons.

Yet, despite such opprobrium (or perhaps because of it) the semi-colon still haunts grammarians, delights pedants, and terrifies English pupils. It is the punctuational equivalent of an ageing theatre actor: elegant, underused, and prone to making a scene.

What is a semi-colon?

The semi-colon (;) is a bridge between ideas. It is most commonly used to link two closely related independent clauses, which could stand alone as individual sentences, but are conceptually, stronger together. For example: “My wife likes George Michael; I prefer old prog rock.” This structure indicates a closer relationship than two separate sentences might suggest (and reflects the real-life preferences of my wife and I).

Contrastingly, the colon (:) introduces or emphasises what follows. It typically precedes a list, explanation, or elaboration: “She brought three things to the meeting: notes, confidence, and a plan.” While both punctuation marks connect ideas, the semi-colon implies balance and parallelism, whereas the colon introduces something additional or illustrative.

The demise of the Semi-Colon

Despite its elegance and versatility, the semi-colon is vanishing from modern English, particularly from informal or digital communication. The reasons for this are grammatical and cultural.

The ‘rise’ of simplicity and brevity in modern writing styles (especially online) prioritises speed and clarity. Tweets, texts, and comment threads favour full stops or simple conjunctions over complex punctuation. Why use a semi-colon when a simple dash will do – and feel more casual?

There is also a drift away from the semi-colon in education. Punctuation instruction has trended toward the functional rather than the nuanced. Pupils are taught commas, full stops, colons, and question marks, but semi-colons are often left languishing at the back of the syllabus (if they make any appearance at all).

Semi-colons also suffer from an image problem. They are often seen as stuffy or overly formal and used mainly by lawyers, English teachers, and people who correct your pronunciation of “aperitif” or “espresso”. (Actually, full disclosure, I do that).

Technology is particularly unhelpful. Auto-correct and grammar tools seem to frown on semi-colons, offering friendlier alternatives. Algorithms are practical, not poetic; subtlety confuses them.

Okay, what about semi-colons in bid writing?

In bid writing, clarity, precision, and accessibility are paramount. The semi-colon, for all its stylistic charm, can feel like an indulgence – one that risks clouding rather than clarifying meaning. Evaluators are often pressed for time and scanning for key messages; they don’t want to puzzle over whether two ideas are meant to be conjoined or are just awkwardly punctuated. A clean full stop or well-placed conjunction wins every time. While some might argue that a semi-colon adds a certain elan, in reality, it’s more likely to be viewed as clutter—or worse, an attempt to show off.

In a profession where plain English reigns supreme, the semi-colon has quietly exited stage left.

So, where are we?

The semi-colon is a punctuation mark with a PR crisis. Though it offers rhythm, clarity, and sophistication, it has been outpaced by the directness of modern prose. Perhaps its fate was sealed the moment we stopped writing letters and started writing pithy memes or using ‘LOL’. Or when word limits were introduced in bid responses?

However, for those of you who enjoy a well-balanced sentence, the semi-colon remains the winking emoji of the grammatical world: misunderstood, underused, but undeniably charming. I try to insert at least one cheeky semi-colon into any bid I work on. Just to keep the flame burning and probably buried in an unread appendix. 😉