[General] Punctuation marks

[Rollercoaster1]

Hello, I get confused when I type lengthy sentences and don't know well when to use colons and semicolons. Is there any trick to overcome this issue?

 

[Rollercoaster1]

There is no simple answer.

:lol:

 

[emsr2d2]

There's no "trick". You need to study their use.

Have a look HERE for a start.

 

[Rover_KE]

Here's a simple answer: write shorter sentences.

 

[Tdol]

Why don't you post an example for discussion?

 

[Rollercoaster1]

Here's a simple answer: write shorter sentences.

Why not short, why shorter?

 

[Tdol]

= Shorter than the ones you are currently writing.

 

[Rover_KE]

Kudos to you if you're keen to learn about colons and semicolons, but millions of native speakers spend happy and productive lives without ever feeling the need to use them.

 

[Rollercoaster1]

Kudos to you if you're keen to learn about colons and semicolons, but millions of native speakers spend happy and productive lives without ever feeling the need to use them.

Thank you so much!
I have been writing a novel in English since 2015, but have stopped writing months ago. I hope I will start writing it again. I write poetry both in Urdu and English. If you allow me, I can drop a few lines here although I am not a great poet or a great writer; but I am fond of poetry and writing.

 

[Tdol]

Drop a few lines.

 

[Rollercoaster1]

Drop a few lines.

Oh, your eyes that are blue and deep,
of shades that are glittering but sleek,
when I want to say "I love you",
I just let mine (eyes) with yours (eyes) meet.

 

[Rollercoaster1]

Impressive.

The last line does not quite work for me. I understand why you prefer 'mine' and 'yours' to 'my eyes' and 'your eyes', but the line does not have enough syllables for the rhythm pattern of the verse. Perhaps you could get away with 'mine'. but change 'yours' to 'your eyes'.

Thank you.
Don't you think the whole meaning would be changed if I did so?

 

[GoesStation]

Thank you.
Don't you think the whole meaning would be changed if I did so?

"I just let mine eyes with your eyes meet" means "I just let my eyes meet your eyes." That makes sense to me.

 

[Rover_KE]

No offence, Babarbutt, but we'd get a better insight into the standard of your English usage from a sample of your prose writing rather than your poetry, which can of course be submitted to our Poetry forum for appraisal and appreciation.

 

[Tdol]

but the line does not have enough syllables for the rhythm pattern of the verse.

It might in a rap.

 

[Rollercoaster1]

"I just let mine eyes with your eyes meet" means "I just let my eyes meet your eyes." That makes sense to me.

"I just let my eyes with your eyes meet" means "I just let my eyes meet your eyes." That makes sense to me.

That's what the last line means. I can summarize the last two verses in a few lines.

1- When I want to say "I love you".
In verse number 1, I am talking about my feeling, which is beyond a shadow of a doubt is "love, how I express it.

2- I let mine with yours meet,
Since the poetry starts or vitally focuses on eyes, it is needless to say/write your eyes or my eyes according to their placements in the 2nd vers. For instance: I let my eyes meet your eyes. That sounds right but distastes rhythm, alliteration at the end of each verse and the flow of poetry. As this poetry has a few more verses, which I still haven't dropped here, talks about eyes it was/is needless or redundant to lengthen the 4th verse by saying "my eyes meet your eyes".

I hope it's all clear, now.

I am not a great poet but have a bit of knowledge about poetry. I like being guided whenever I make mistakes in English, here. I wish to be guided more.

 

[Rollercoaster1]

No offence, Babarbutt, but we'd get a better insight into the standard of your English usage from a sample of your prose writing rather than your poetry, which can of course be submitted to our Poetry forum for appraisal and appreciation.

No offense, Babarbutt, but we'd get a better insight into the standard of your English usage from a sample of your prose writing rather than your poetry, which can, of course, be submitted to our Poetry forum for appraisal and appreciation.

In my opinion, there are two types of poetry. the first poetry is comprised of a few verses and simple words, though arranged in an order that describes feelings or thoughts plainly with rhythm or alliteration.

The second poetry comprises of complex verses or words arranged without rhythm and alliteration.

 

[GoesStation]

The commas around 'of course' are not essential.

I think the sentence flows better without them.

 

[Rollercoaster1]

I think the sentence flows better without them.

I have a grammar checker when I pasted the quote it just pointed out a few mistakes commas were one of them.

 

[GoesStation]

I have a grammar checker when I pasted the quote it just pointed out a few mistakes commas were one of them.

While it's impressive that an algorithm was able to detect the parenthetical clause, a human editor from this century would be unlikely to add those commas.