: Re: What is the correct way to use semicolons vs. commas vs. em dashes? In Sabriel by Garth Nix, near the beginning of Chapter Two, there is the following sentence: Anything powerful enough to

@Holmes449

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I do not agree that this is parallel grammar.
The second sentence after the paragraph is much different than the first. it IS related content and can be condensed by a semicolon, (related by virtue of still talking about "Anything powerful enough to cross the wall") but all the extra baggage after "to become invisible and" applies ONLY to becoming invisible, NOT to assuming the shape of a soldier, and the dash is part of the SECOND sentence, indicating an aside about "mortar bombs" not working, which only applies to the immunity to mortar bombs (and perhaps hand grenades) apparently conferred by "invisibility".
(Perhaps the "Old Kingdom" wind carries some kind of magic that prevents explosive devices from working, I don't know this setting).
Thus the two sentences joined by the semicolon are:

Anything powerful enough to cross the Wall usually retained enough magic to assume the shape of a soldier.
Anything powerful enough to cross the Wall usually retained enough magic to become invisible and simply go where it willed, regardless of barbed wire, bullets, hand grenades and mortar bombs – which often didn't work at all, particularly when the wind was blowing from the north, out of the Old Kingdom.

Thus the semi-colon is justified to join these two independent sentences that DO have related content, it condenses them. A comma is not; because the grammar of the second sentence, though it starts the same, is much more complex by adding "and xxx" as a consequence of becoming invisible. The use of the dash is again a shortening to not repeat the objects that don't work in the aside that explains why they don't work. This further complicates the grammar and prevents it from being parallel.
The grammar is correct as written (or as the editor rewrote it).

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