Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Vonnegut’s semicolon rule. What age has to do with language. Chocolate donut.

Sep 2, 2025

Explore why you can ditch Kurt Vonnegut’s semicolon rule and the pitfalls of taking punctuation advice from fiction writers for business. Discover how major life events, not just age, impact the way we speak as we grow older. Delve into the evolution of language across generations, revealing how speech changes over time. Plus, enjoy a humorous story about a chocolate donut that illustrates the quirks of family language and how shared expressions can strengthen communication.

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INSIGHT

Vonnegut's Semicolon Quip Is Rhetoric

Kurt Vonnegut's famous line about semicolons is taken out of context and meant to provoke, not instruct.
Treat his essay as rhetorical performance, not definitive punctuation guidance.

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ADVICE

Limit Semicolons In Business Writing

Don't follow fiction writers' punctuation habits for business or nonfiction writing.
Avoid lots of semicolons in office writing; prefer short clear sentences instead.

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INSIGHT

Semicolon Use Is Stylistic And Historical

Semicolon use varies widely by author, era, and style rather than by correctness.
19th-century authors like Melville used many semicolons while modern minimalist writers use fewer.

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The Semicolon Debate: Fiction vs. Nonfiction Writing

02:02 • 7min

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The Intersection of Age and Language Evolution

09:07 • 3min

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Language and Life: How Experience Shapes Speech

11:58 • 7min

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Chocolate Donuts and Familects: Shared Language Adventures

19:00 • 3min

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1112. This week, we look at why you can safely ignore Kurt Vonnegut’s famous advice about ignoring semicolons. We also look at why taking punctuation advice from fiction writers may not be a good idea for business writing. Then, we look at how major life events, not age, change how you speak as you get older.

The age segment was by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com.

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