The Use of the Semicolon in French
What are semicolons used for in French?
The semicolon (le point-virgule) marks a separation or pause that is stronger than a comma but weaker than a full stop. In general, it is used less often than a full stop or a comma. It is also worth noting that the semicolon is used more to link two sentences than to separate them.
Contents
Emploi
The semicolon is used more freely than other punctuation marks. There are no strict rules that clearly forbid or require its use in certain cases. Most of the time, it is up to the writer to decide whether or not to use it. What should be remembered is the following:
Two independent sentences can be separated by a semicolon when they are closely related in meaning. A comma would create too weak a separation, while a full stop would create too strong a break.
- Example:
- Je vois bien que je vous aime comme une folle ; cependant je ne me plains point de toute la violence des mouvements de mon cœur […].I can clearly see that I love you like a madwoman; however, I do not complain about the intensity of the emotions in my heart […]. (Lettres portugaises, Gabriel de Guilleragues (?))
The semicolon can therefore create different meaning effects, since it highlights a logical relationship between two independent sentences.
- Example:
- Un instant il pensa à allumer du feu ; mais il essaya vainement de soulever le tablier rouillé de la cheminée.For a moment he thought about lighting a fire; but he tried in vain to lift the rusty hearth plate. (Le grand Meaulnes, Alain-Fournier)
- the semicolon expresses contrast
- Alors il se prit à ranger dans la chambre ; il accrocha ses beaux habits aux portemanteaux, disposa le long du mur les chaises bouleversées, comme s’il eût tout voulu préparer là pour un long séjour.Then he began to tidy the room; he hung his fine clothes on the coat racks and arranged the overturned chairs along the wall, as if he wanted to prepare everything there for a long stay. (Le grand Meaulnes, Alain-Fournier)
- the semicolon introduces an explanation
- J’aurais voulu ne pas penser aux heures d’angoisse que je passerais ce soir seul dans ma chambre sans pouvoir m’endormir ; je tâchais de me persuader qu’elles n’avaient aucune importance, puisque je les aurais oubliées demain matin […].I wished I could stop thinking about the hours of anxiety I would spend tonight alone in my room without being able to fall asleep; I tried to convince myself that they were unimportant, since I would have forgotten them by tomorrow morning […]. (Du côté de chez Swann, Marcel Proust)
- the semicolon expresses a cause–effect relationship
Info
The two clauses separated by a semicolon are often independent clauses. However, a semicolon can also link subordinate clauses that depend on the same main clause.
- Example:
- Flavie n’aurait pas raté son train si elle s’était levée plus tôt ; si elle avait imprimé son billet la veille ; et s’il n’y avait pas eu de perturbations sur la ligne de métro.Flavie would not have missed her train if she had got up earlier; if she had printed her ticket the day before; and if there had not been disruptions on the metro line.
- all the subordinate clauses introduced by si depend on the main clause “Flavie n’aurait pas raté son train.”
Enumerations
A semicolon can also be used in enumerations to separate groups of words that already contain commas. This helps structure the sentence by creating clear “blocks” of information.
- Example:
- […] et je les vis tous les deux déplacer en silence les bancs de l’école – le grand Meaulnes, taciturne et l’air dur, sa blouse noire boutonnée à trois boutons en arrière et sanglée à la ceinture ; l’autre délicat, nerveux, la tête bandée comme un blessé.[…] and I saw the two of them silently moving the school benches – the tall Meaulnes, taciturn and stern-looking, his black blouse buttoned at the back with three buttons and belted at the waist; the other delicate, nervous, his head bandaged like that of a wounded man. (Le grand Meaulnes, Alain-Fournier)
