Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Sex and the semi-colon

Real conversation just had in our house:

The Man of the House (TMH), while writing a "certification" for a couple we were "involved with" awhile back, asks me to proofread:  "Did I use this semi-colon correctly?"

These two are a fun couple; both of them charming, sexy and fun to be around.

Me, the nerdy grammar geek:  "No, you need an "are" after "them" because both parts have to be a complete sentence."

He looks at it...in frustration...and adds the "are".

TMH:  "You just like the semi-colon because it looks like a pussy in a 69."

Me:  "No, if you look it that way it should be an exclamation point."

TMH:  "No, that would be one of those weird Bushman exclamation points (insert throat clicking here)."

Me:  "See, I was thinking of it more like a clit and a slit beneath."

Laughing....over our highly nerdy, strangely sexual grammar debate.

(This is normal in our house.)

The semi-colon is, indeed, the sexiest, and most misused, punctuation mark on the planet.  Maybe that's why I find it so sexy (or maybe he's right, and my bi-sexual leanings go much deeper into the subconscious - all the way to my more conscious usage of punctuation) .  If the person using it, uses it correctly, then he/she obviously has some measure of intelligence.  It's a geek thing.  Now, I am in no way saying that TMH is not intelligent.  Quite the contrary.  I find it amusing that he has such difficulty with this little dot and swish.  Such a coy little minx - winking and confusing the public masses with her confounded rules.

It's just one of those things; not everyone gets it.

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