What's even more tricky is that there are a lot of points where people instinctively use a comma where an emdash (which, on E, I use -- for instead) is more appropriate. A comma is typically when you have two separate sentences but they're sort of connected together, like one is a continuation of the other (this sentence being a perfect example). An emdash is usually used for a sort of aside, tangent, or digression. Took me a while to get a hang of the difference.<br/><br/>Couldn't tell you jack shit about when to use a semi-colon, though.<br/><br/>It's like when lovely mentioned knowing when to use "good" versus "well". In my head I know instinctively when to use one or the other (most of the time), but to explain it? Man, fuck me if I know.<br/><br/>And to quote myself here:<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">An emdash is usually used for a sort of <strong>aside, tangent, or digression</strong>.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Different use of commas which has nothing to do with emdashes or parentheses or sentences any of that junk.<br/><br/>Grammar is a bitch.