: Re: When to use semicolons and when to use em dashes? Sometimes I can't decide whether to use a semicolon or a em dash. Usually, I start with semicolons and, once I notice there are too many

@Carla500

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You can use an em dash when the phrase on either side is not necessarily a full sentence.
Semi-colons must join two full sentences.

I turned and saw him — filthy, battered, exhausted, but unquestionably alive.
I turned and saw him — he was filthy, battered, exhausted — but I couldn't reach him.
I turned and saw him — he was filthy, battered, and exhausted, but unquestionably alive.
I turned and saw him; he was filthy, battered, and exhausted, but unquestionably alive.

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