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 of them, I start replacing a few with em dashes (as I read somewhere they are interchangeable). I also use em dashes to replace parenthesis.
What other criteria should I use while deciding when to use the first or the latter?
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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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