The Outcast

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Since this is about punctuation, what's with the double dashes? Trailing off is usually written with an ellipsis, though an em dash can be used, since this is more of a break in speech. And yes, double dashes are sometimes used as a substitute on a keyboard or with a typeface that doesn't have an em dash.

But this is hand-lettered text— just draw the em dash!

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I always read NB as New Balance. And I'm always confused.

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An em dash is done with a triple hyphen in some programs like Microsoft Word, IIRC, and a double hyphen is an en dash.

But I am lazy and don't want to smack hyphen three times, so I tend to use double hyphen for em dash. People get the meaning.

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I was taught it in school, have looked it up on Wikipedia, seen infographics, YouTube videos, etc., and yet I still do not know when to use those things. At this point I just refuse to purely out of fear.

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You generally use them at the end of a line but it is more accurate to say you use them at the end of a statement but we usually put each statement on a single line so it is easy to make that mistake example:

::: spoiler Tap for spoiler

<?php
$x = 5; // Semicolon ends the statement
$y = 10; // Another statement ends here

if ($x < $y) { // No semicolon needed here
    echo "x is less than y"; // Semicolon ends this statement
}

$x = $x + $y; // Statement ends here
echo $x; // Outputs 15
?>

:::

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I use them after worrying about being pretentious, but then (sometimes) deciding "fuck it. It's right." and then doing it anyway.

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Wikipedia has some examples; they are always super helpful in cases like this.

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The rules are all made up; punctuation can be used wherever you like.

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I've always done this one;

Between closely related [independent clauses]
(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_clause "Independent clause") not conjoined with a coordinating conjunction, when the two clauses are balanced, opposed or contradictory:[23]
- My wife said she would like tea; coffee would have been my choice.
- I went to the basketball court; it was closed for cleaning.
- I told Kate she's running for the hills; she knew I was joking.

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Basically you use them at points where you'd usually put a period, but you don't want to add as much of a pause.

technomad

Is this programmer trolling?

𝕽𝖚𝖆𝖎𝖉𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍

I have one easy rule, and two examples. Use them when using a comma would be confusing.

Examples: often in lists, where each item might contain a comma and so trying to separate list items with commas would just be confusing; and more broadly anywhere where you have a sentance containing clauses and need a different separator.

I just used the first example above: to separate the two list items, and the other one I'm using here, where I'm already using commas; using a semicolon allows braking this up without starting a new sentance.

That second example was somewhat contrived, but does the job; it could have been two sentences.

Actually, there's another place I use them, but it's not a "rule" and if more style: I use them selectively in place of periods to prevent a series of short, choppy sentences.

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Same. I was taught in school but never learned how to use them until I read this (The Oatmeal).

Jeffool

Most of the time I see em dashes and en dashes though should just be commas anyway.

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I read NB as New Brunswick; but I also read it as Nude Boobs, so take that as you will

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While that may be true, you also put them in places that should have a comma, but you want more pause; this is why boiling it down to a single aphorism is difficult.

For example, I've read most of the comments in this thread, as well as the Oatmeal info-comic that someone linked, and I still don't know with certainty the semicolon I used above is grammatically appropriate.

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I call this; the ee cummings

Meursault

You would use a semi-colon in places where a comma and a colon would be equally suitable, pretty much.

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Where a period or a comma followed by "And" would go. Semicolon is a full break, distinctly more than a comma

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You can use a semicolon wherever you’d logically pause in a sentence but intend to follow the thought; semi-colons slip naturally into your thought process when you practice it by speaking.