221–230 of 260 posts
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Younger generation needs Grammarly too, so there's that. The lack of punctuation in messaging apps is part of where I point to blame.
The only people using “txt” speak without punctuation is boomers. Young people communicate in complete sentences when messaging, full of memes and in-jokes sure, but not abbreviated or avoiding punctuation.
I had to read a lot of Heidegger, who was interesting on a macro level but interminably boring on the micro level needed to see the macro. His readability was helped by the use of very visible double dashes-- sort of an extended version of the double-comma appositive structure in a sentence-- so the structure of his writing was easier to follow. I liked that much more visual que enough that I adopted it myself for a…
They’re called “em dashes”, and they look like this: — You can find a Real, Genuine Em Dash™ at https://emda.sh , or insert one using ‘C-k - M’ in Vim or ‘Compose - - -’ on Linux — not sure about other platforms.
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I’m not sure that time is passed. I was in college only ten years ago, and my English professor’s key insight to punctuation is that it’s to define framing and tempo for your sentences. That the sequence you listed is the pause count — similar to different empty spaces in music. Punctuation is just the negative space to frame your thoughts! And perhaps a bit of tonality.
That's nice to hear: but do you often see the colon used that way?
This discussion makes it painfully clear to me that I over-punctuate. I mean, I knew I leant more towards elaborate sentence-construction than is fashionable; I've never liked txt-speak, and my thumbs are too fat and flabby for operating miniature virtual keyboards.
I try to write literate emails. That is also unfashionable, apparently, but I think it's considerate to the reader to use the expressive power of the language. In fact emails now seem to mostly be an alternative channel for sending txts. I think this is because of mobile apps that present the same UI for txts and emails.
So I send a carefully-considered email, with paragraphs and all that, and I get back a reply of the form "Yes! ".
On semi-colons, I use them to append a clause with sentence structure (roughly subject, main verb, object) to the main part of a sentence, while keeping the two clauses together as a single "thought".
My favourite use of the semicolon is in its function as a "supercomma". It just makes sense. E.g. "We were joined by three families: John, his wife, Mary, and their son, George; the Middletons; and our neighbours, Jim and Sally from next door." Alas, whenever I use it, invariably someone who's never seen it used this way will simply have a tantrum until I completely rewrite the whole thing in the most tedious way pos…
"The semicolon is a profound public mystery; the only punctuation mark that regularly unites readers and writers in deep-seated repugnance." That sentence should have used a colon, not a semi-colon, IIANM. The digital world churns; Twitter is not an arena known for reflection. Semicolons, then, are snottily elitist and shadily indirect. The elitist snottiness is in assuming people live their lives on Twitter and the…
I think you are mistaken. The two clauses are full sentences. They could have been separated by a full-stop/period, but the semi-colon makes them part of the same "thought".
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Why should 2021 be different than any other year. I cannot see a reason to avoid using the semicolon. It is part of proper expression - it's useful, available and innocent.
Because language evolves. Today essentially nobody uses a semicolon in conversational and casual writing. For the average person, using a semicolon is an affectation like wearing a fedora. Some people look good doing it but most don’t.
Also, it so happens that I wear a fedora. It's not an affectation, it's just a felt hat. My natural scalp insulation started to fall out a decade or so ago, so I started wearing beanies. But now I feel much more at home under a fedora - apart from anything else, the hat works as a sort of miniature umbrella.
Meh. Grammar, in general, is on a steep suckiness trend. For example, when was the last time you saw someone on the web actually use the correct past tense of "lead (verb, transitive)"?
Meh. Grammar, in general, is on a steep suckiness trend. For example, when was the last time you saw someone on the web actually use the correct past tense of "lead (verb, transitive)"?
What is the correct past tense of lead? I thought it was “led”, but I can’t remember having ever read any other form? What often irks me, as a non-native speaker, is the wrong subjunctive (if that’s what it’s called). People say and write all the time “I wish you were there”, when they mean “I wish you had been there”. At least I’m pretty sure that’s how it’s supposed to be…
The example you've chosen refers to an event in the past, so "were" seems to be ambiguous in that context, because it could be "you were there", prefixed by I wish - i.e. the writer isn't trying to use the subjunctive at all, which I think is nowadays OK.
"I wish you were here" is a clearer example. That is clearly present subjunctive. "I wish you had been here" would be referring to an event in the past - so that's some kind of past subjunctive.
I regret the death of the subjunctive.
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What is the correct past tense of lead? I thought it was “led”, but I can’t remember having ever read any other form? What often irks me, as a non-native speaker, is the wrong subjunctive (if that’s what it’s called). People say and write all the time “I wish you were there”, when they mean “I wish you had been there”. At least I’m pretty sure that’s how it’s supposed to be…
Present: "He leads me to believe in grammatical rigor." Past: "She led me to that conclusion long ago." Past, growing popular but historically incorrect: "She lead me to that conclusion long ago." Noun: "I licked the sweet lead off the wall." Also noun: "After six rounds of chess-boxing-sprinting, it was not clear to either of the participants who had the lead." Also also popular but historically incorrect noun: "We…
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english is not esperanto. it happens to be the native language for a significant part of the world population, and they have no obligation to accept its bastardization for the sake of inclusivity. in every non-western country with its own language, those "some" would get rightfully ridiculed.
> bastardization What is this universal, pure English you've been speaking? I must have missed the tablets on which it was written? Non jokingly: There is no "bastardization" of a natural language. It is spoken how it is spoken and insisting otherwise is missing the point of language (I suggest it is "communication"). There is no King of English to sit and dictate the rules except for the common languages spoken. If…
Descriptivism is all very well; but it doesn't seem to allow for any usage to be actually incorrect.