Chemical castration and unsound ethics
I must take issue with Marilyn Rowley over the use of the semicolon (Letters, 26 May). Reading a sentence aloud with measured pauses will not cut the mustard; an essential prerequisite is a grasp of the difference between a phrase and a main clause. I pontificate as a retired pedagogical pedant who should get out more.Ian BargeLudlow, Shropshire
Marilyn Rowley's teacher gave bad advice about the colon. It has nothing to do with a long pause, but indicates that what follows will explain or enlarge upon what has just preceded.Michael BulleyChalon-sur-Saône, France
The latest campaign being fought in the letters page over the use of semicolons worries me: is this a case of colonic irritation?Francis MaccabeeLoughborough, Leicestershire
In your quick crossword (26 May), 'Kiwi' was given as the answer to the clue 'Fuzzy green foodstuff – that flies!' Oh no it doesn't!Euan DunnGreat Eversden, Cambridgeshire
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