Post A7pSDbjDoNiPex1WRE by thor@pl.thj.no
(DIR) More posts by thor@pl.thj.no
(DIR) Post #A7pPodahY91wHw0Isa by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T02:46:57.134478Z
3 likes, 0 repeats
in case you wondered (you probably didn't), the way to use the semicolon is when you've got a sentence and you want to add a subsentence to it.he ate the food; slowly and carefullycomparehe ate the food (slowly but carefully)the latter is a casual addition, okay to ignore, whereas the semicolon suggests that this is an essential addition, i.e. you must read it to get the essence.
(DIR) Post #A7pPwQYbtPLcBJjxB2 by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T02:48:21.583035Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
there is some overlap between the semicolon and the long dash"The difference between an em-dash and a semicolon is the length and purpose of the pause it creates. An em-dash isolates the idea that follows; a semicolon combines two ideas into one. The best way to determine if you can use an em-dash or a semicolon is to try them both out in your sentence, then read it aloud."
(DIR) Post #A7pQ8SnzMOuQd2flia by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T02:50:32.540554Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
the semicolon adds to the idea your sentence is building, whereas the long dash is more jarring; it's an interruption—oh my god—to what you're saying.
(DIR) Post #A7pQV8MzVMjZuSr3q4 by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T02:54:38.008513Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
semicolons versus em-dashes are a very fine distinction though. it's not the sort of thing you'd care about in casual writing.
(DIR) Post #A7pQahCdQMRXOFfA5w by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T02:55:38.352791Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
related...thing i've noticed: the British will usually prefer "sort of thing" over "kind of thing"; the latter of which being the American way.
(DIR) Post #A7pQn5XmkZh4MFStge by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T02:57:52.785130Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
"former" and "latter" took me some time to figure out. i'm not a native speaker. the way i landed on was to compare with "later". it's the later of the things being discussed.
(DIR) Post #A7pQq47cUfggofe75U by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T02:58:19.952193Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
and "former" as in "the thing that used to be", i.e. it came earlier.
(DIR) Post #A7pQqgCCw3w6tu5JVw by 9vVlQ7B44mOHOY3BhY.kino@springbo.cc
2021-06-01T02:58:35.695707Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@thor yes
(DIR) Post #A7pR1fkouzGGiSW4Vk by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:00:35.853033Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor what follows a semicolon should be a sentence-like phrase with a subject and verb, but not a strong enough sentence to stand on its ownit’s not ideal to use a sem to introduce a pair of adverbsthe English language would not lose much if sems were outlawed. they almost never add clarityI tell the people whose work I edit that each one costs $5 extra
(DIR) Post #A7pRfZfMyKuPPyzeUa by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:07:42.313417Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself something tells me that there is a pragmatic and a semantic approachto these punctuation marks.
(DIR) Post #A7pRkhGu7gHySBzbVY by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:08:41.016962Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself going by feel, by pragmatics, the semicolon is a shorter pause than an em-dash
(DIR) Post #A7pRuhReKjHFt3mwKm by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:10:28.242760Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself (ironically, i feel i should perhaps have used semicolons instead of commas in the sentence above)
(DIR) Post #A7pRvFBWtAaKWuVXvc by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:10:38.447529Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@thor I don’t think anyone under 40 even knows the rules, and in English the rules were never as solid as, say French (the only other language I know much about)so it’s up to us middle-aged editor ladies to hold the line
(DIR) Post #A7pS2dp3gYL8y8Wa80 by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:11:58.661417Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@thor it’s a different kind of pause. it’s really more of a soft break than a place to draw breath while reading aloud
(DIR) Post #A7pS9CHoSkZxat6HJY by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:13:09.750315Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@thor in most casual writing an ellipses is more apt to put in a pause
(DIR) Post #A7pSDbjDoNiPex1WRE by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:13:53.892772Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself *ellipsis
(DIR) Post #A7pSGvyazEPlKHni08 by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:14:22.659217Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself my problem is that i casually use literary writing
(DIR) Post #A7pSNoaEs5eCQOgmoq by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:15:48.258621Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor it was taught to me as “three periods of ellipses” an ellipsis is just the one
(DIR) Post #A7pSV9S9g2XBB5PFtA by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:17:07.812782Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor I don’t think sems are really literary, they’re more academicliterature became the province of stuffy academics but it was not always thus
(DIR) Post #A7pSWKl97s6IX7qx7o by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:17:12.551197Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself you said "an ellipses" though
(DIR) Post #A7pSZEoZgVnOxsqESW by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:17:39.051536Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself mmm
(DIR) Post #A7pScke9n4ziYhdzUG by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:18:30.222742Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor that’s because people actually pay me money for my knowledge of grammar, punctuation, usage, and typesetting
(DIR) Post #A7pSfEDunPVWruYCxs by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:18:43.413661Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself i can see that
(DIR) Post #A7pShn6e4dARdPN9Cy by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:19:07.205673Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself i don't follow
(DIR) Post #A7pSsMRBZFms6n1If2 by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:21:19.485950Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor I say “an ellipses” because it’s sort of a trade jargon-y way to refer to that piece of punctuation, and I have worked in this trade for a couple of decades
(DIR) Post #A7pSzU45bhwPn9c61g by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:22:22.094166Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself ah. not what the sources i can find agree with but if it's trade jargon...
(DIR) Post #A7pSztUt3DEOfVLLlY by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:22:41.173504Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor it’s sort of a weak joke too because editors make hardly any money
(DIR) Post #A7pT6j1oN9uIE707JQ by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:23:51.868324Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself i make hardly any money so, ergo, i must be an editor!
(DIR) Post #A7pT6wPKd1Rfip6aHI by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:23:57.587469Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor it’s just what we called it Actually I think we said “an ellipse”but it’s silly to take people to task for not nailing Latin plurals
(DIR) Post #A7pT93Fc9kVhWcZAoq by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:24:20.469105Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor I find no flaw in yr logic
(DIR) Post #A7pTBbA531xrHDBz84 by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:24:40.059610Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself *plurii 😂
(DIR) Post #A7pTFn6AbnK9SNMX8C by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:25:33.550491Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor Latin plurals are actually wildly gay
(DIR) Post #A7pTKavVI7rH9afDsW by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:26:16.675777Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself as opposed to domesticated gay?
(DIR) Post #A7pTVCSsZzvwTMKecC by HonkifyYourself@freespeechextremist.com
2021-06-01T03:28:20.640575Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@thor the moral of the story is that semicolons are treacherous and difficult to use in prose without sounding like a womxyns studies major
(DIR) Post #A7pTdqhyq4UjbPWHZI by thor@pl.thj.no
2021-06-01T03:29:45.204003Z
2 likes, 0 repeats
@HonkifyYourself i am treacherous and difficult