The semicolon has been described as a “graceful pause” in writing. But this graceful punctuation mark is being forgotten.

Why should you write an exclamatory expression—or one that show strong feeling, excitement or surprise—without bothering to ...

An Oxford professor and renowned critic, he was pugnacious, fearless and disdainful of the received wisdom of his intellectual milieu.

Smuggled a shaving-cream pie into the theatre and got that Barber of Seville good, and more. Take some time to learn your new ...

When AI detection software fails, students and teachers have to negotiate difficult conversations about cheating with artificial intelligence.

Sir — Once the mark of a thoughtful pause, semicolons seem to be falling out of fashion with a generation that is forever breathless. Studies show that the use of semicolons has halved since the year, ...

Q. I have used the Excel functions LEFT, MID, and RIGHT to dissect cells. However, I have some spreadsheets where each piece of information is a different length and uses different delimiters. Is ...

Array constants in Microsoft Excel are powerful tools for performing multiple calculations with a single formula. Using array constants in your Excel worksheets avoids the need for lengthy or repeated ...

It's divisive; it cleaves; it drives some people crazy. The writer Kurt Vonnegut said of the semicolon: It's showy; it's chiefly used to show you've been to college. More than two-thirds of young ...

Editor’s note: This segment was rebroadcast on Jan. 2, 2026. Click here for that audio. The semicolon has been described as a “graceful pause” in writing. But this graceful punctuation mark is being ...