"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! - Page 149 - Other Topics Forum - Discuss Pop Culture, Arts and Entertainment

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"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode!

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Page 149 of 247

First

49 99 129 139 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 159 169 199

Last

07-23-2012 , 01:55 PM

#3701

RussellinToronto

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Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,243

Quote:

Originally Posted by atakdog

... One related semi-exception is that there is ongoing discussion and debate about the proper form and spacing of dashes. There is the unspaced em dash camp (this being the traditionally accepted method), the spaced en dash camp, and the spaced em dash camp; I believe the last of those is very much in the minority but I'm in it because I find it the clearest. But properly employing that style (or that used in the example you quoted) requires a nonbreaking space, something that isn't quickly or easily available on normal keyboards nor available at all in some situations.

I've always liked the terms of art for this: "stuck dash" and "unstuck dash." In publishing it's a matter of house style, though as you observe, the stuck dash prevails these days (though perhaps less so in poetry).

Quote

07-23-2012 , 11:38 PM

#3702

New Kid

adept

Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 750

Quote

07-24-2012 , 05:49 AM

#3703

DiegoArmando

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That's perfect!

Quote

07-24-2012 , 07:26 PM

#3704

DiegoArmando

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Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,737

FB status: guess whose back?

Me: your back?

Don't think anyone on FB got it of course.

Quote

07-24-2012 , 09:05 PM

#3705

atakdog

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We do here, though. Well done.

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07-24-2012 , 09:38 PM

#3706

private joker

Most Definitely

Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 25,244

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiegoArmando

FB status: guess whose back?

Me: your back?

Don't think anyone on FB got it of course.

Quote

07-25-2012 , 01:15 PM

#3707

MikeyObviously

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Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 3,266

I saw this in another thread and had to bring it here for commnent.

This should be "He's just not that into you" right? I mean I guess the phrase could be said either way, but I'm pretty sure the tone of the material would lend itself to "that" being emphasized.

Quote

07-25-2012 , 01:46 PM

#3708

ObezyankaNol

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Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 3,115

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeyObviously

I saw this in another thread and had to bring it here for commnent.

This should be "He's just not that into you" right? I mean I guess the phrase could be said either way, but I'm pretty sure the tone of the material would lend itself to "that" being emphasized.

Emphasize not, he's not into you at all. Emphasize that, he may be into you a little.

Quote

07-25-2012 , 02:37 PM

#3709

MikeyObviously

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Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 3,266

Quote:

Originally Posted by ObezyankaNol

Emphasize not, he's not into you at all. Emphasize that, he may be into you a little.

Right, I guess I presumed the men in question were into them a little.

Quote

07-25-2012 , 03:15 PM

#3710

Dr. Spaceman

worth 1000 words

Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,978

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiegoArmando

FB status: guess whose back?

Me: your back?

Don't think anyone on FB got it of course.

It would've been awesome if he tried to correct you with "you're back".

Quote

07-25-2012 , 03:23 PM

#3711

Clare Quilty

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Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 6,710

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiegoArmando

FB status: guess whose back?

Me: your back?

Don't think anyone on FB got it of course.

Perfect

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeyObviously

I saw this in another thread and had to bring it here for commnent.

This should be "He's just not that into you" right? I mean I guess the phrase could be said either way, but I'm pretty sure the tone of the material would lend itself to "that" being emphasized.

I agree as far as normal people are concerned, but if you say it like the snotty ****** that I'm sure all of the characters in question are, it sounds about right.

Quote

07-25-2012 , 03:32 PM

#3712

Clare Quilty

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Question all,

On the subject of the em dash, how do we feel about using it to elaborate on a point the earlier part of the sentence was making.

Example: "Danny liked smoking crack--it made him feel truly alive."

That's a pretty bad example, but hopefully good enough to communicate my question. I feel like you could also go with either a comma or a semi-colon there, but there's something about an em dash in that spot that seems to communicate, idk, a certain causality between two thoughts maybe? Or possibly not.

Quote

07-25-2012 , 04:08 PM

#3713

DiegoArmando

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Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,737

Quote:

Originally Posted by ObezyankaNol

Emphasize not, he's not into you at all. Emphasize that, he may be into you a little.

Nuclear stress...usually the negative is stressed, unless you want to modify the degree of how negative.

I think the pic is correct.

Quote

07-25-2012 , 04:11 PM

#3714

DiegoArmando

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Clare Quilty

I don't mind the dash but I feel like it should be a semi colon.

I think it depends on how formal the text is. You can use the dash in less formal contexts.

Quote

07-25-2012 , 04:12 PM

#3715

DiegoArmando

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Spaceman

It would've been awesome if he tried to correct you with "you're back".

Haha aye. I was angling for that.

Quote

07-25-2012 , 04:25 PM

#3716

atakdog

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I think that in general using em dashes to set off elaboration not only is acceptable, it should be done far more often than it is. And yes, I think that's true even in pretty informal writing. (I also recognize that I use em dashes much more than most people do.)

One tricky factor is when the elaboration becomes so strictly tied to the clause on which it's elaborating that a colon is appropriate instead. I believe that, as with dashes, colons are underused, but again I recognize that I'm off on the edge on this one.

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07-26-2012 , 03:15 PM

#3717

Huehuecoyotl

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-a...e_gdata_player

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07-26-2012 , 05:40 PM

#3718

ObezyankaNol

banned

Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 3,115

I couldn't figure out what "slurred" means until I clicked on the link.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/b...al-slur-072612

ETA: I thought maybe it meant he beat him to a bloody pulp, thus reducing him to slurry.

ETAA: I had no idea "Monday" was a racial slur. Anyone else hear of this? Let's make up derogatory meanings for every day of the week.

Last edited by ObezyankaNol; 07-26-2012 at 05:54 PM.

Quote

07-26-2012 , 06:10 PM

#3719

coffee_monster

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Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 3,224

Quote:

Originally Posted by ObezyankaNol

I have had it with these monkey fighting snakes on this Monday to Friday plane.

Last edited by coffee_monster; 07-26-2012 at 06:12 PM. Reason: Gotta get the quote right.

Quote

07-26-2012 , 09:35 PM

#3720

atakdog

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I see no reason to believe that "slur" is now accepted as a verb — that was just FoxDolts thinking they were being cleverly concise.

I've never heard that "Monday" is a racial slur either, but that at least seems possible, as it might well be a regional thing.

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07-27-2012 , 07:08 AM

#3721

DiegoArmando

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Slur has been a verb in my world for as long as I can remember.

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07-27-2012 , 08:05 PM

#3722

RussellinToronto

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Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,243

Quote:

Originally Posted by atakdog

...
I've never heard that "Monday" is a racial slur either, but that at least seems possible, as it might well be a regional thing.

http://bostonglobe.com/ideas/2012/07...4NO/story.html

Quote

07-27-2012 , 08:08 PM

#3723

RussellinToronto

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Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,243

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiegoArmando

Slur has been a verb in my world for as long as I can remember.

I'm wondering if you mean it in the sense of "to slur one's speech"? Its use as a verb is common in that context.

To slur a reputation is less common -- but the OED does show it as having a long history. (No recent citations, but that may not be significant.)

And there are some other uses of slur as a verb but they are now never heard: to pass over lightly, to slide over ...

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07-27-2012 , 08:22 PM

#3724

Gonso

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Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 2,449

Merriam-Webster Collegiate gives slur as a verb in the 2nd and 3rd entries, the second meaning "to disparage" and gives "slurred his reputation" as an example. It's technically correct but still a poor choice.

The 4th definition (the musical one) I've heard used in verb form also, but they only give that as a noun referring to notation.