Re: That semicolon again....

In article <e91123$kok$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
mkkuhner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx says...
I am prone to write sentences like this:

"Lisette opened her hands, let him slump to the floor."

I know that the following is grammatically more correct:

"Lisette opened her hands and let him slump to the floor."

The original is a "comma splice." I think it's sometimes okay
to splice a comma, especially when the sentences are short like
these.

I am bothered, however, by the fact that both MS Word and a
copyeditor I've been dealing with correct this sentence to:

"Lisette opened her hands; let him slump to the floor."

Coming in late (news server decided to take a holiday this am), what's
wrong with "Lisette opened her hands, letting him slump to the floor." ?

Is that one okay at all? I would have said not, and just having
Word like it wouldn't have shaken my belief, but the copyeditor
said firmly that she wasn't following Word but made this
correction on her own.

There are probably several dozen such sentences in my WIR, so
I'm curious. Is my view of the semicolon too narrow?

It's the same as mine.

If the action of the first clause leads to the action of the second,
then changing the verb to a participle in the second is definitely in
order.

--
"I never understood people who don't have bookshelves."
--George Plimpton

Joann Zimmerman jzimm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
.

Relevant Pages

  • That semicolon again....
    ... "Lisette opened her hands and let him slump to the floor." ... I think it's sometimes okay ... Word like it wouldn't have shaken my belief, but the copyeditor ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
  • Re: That semicolon again....
    ... with both a comma plus 'and': "Lisette opened her hands, and let him slump to ... The comma with 'and' is only correct if they are both independent ... hands and let him slump to the floor." ... I used it in the novel because I wanted to keep it fast-paced. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
  • Re: That semicolon again....
    ... "Lisette opened her hands and let him slump to the floor." ... I don't think it is a comma splice actually, ... Word like it wouldn't have shaken my belief, but the copyeditor ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
  • Re: That semicolon again....
    ... "Lisette opened her hands and let him slump to the floor." ... The original is a "comma splice." ... Word like it wouldn't have shaken my belief, but the copyeditor ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
  • Re: That semicolon again....
    ... "Lisette opened her hands and let him slump to the floor." ... and the one with 'and' is reasonably okay too. ... Word like it wouldn't have shaken my belief, but the copyeditor ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
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