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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Penguin on May 14, 2011, 05:24:58 PM

Title: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Penguin on May 14, 2011, 05:24:58 PM
Hey Grammar Nazis, I have a question for you guys about punctuation.  Under what circumstances do I use the semicolon, colon and dash?  It's been bugging me for a while.

-Penguin
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: MaSonZ on May 14, 2011, 05:36:29 PM
your english teacher did teach this? the grammar nazi of grammar nazis?  :O A semicolon is used to connect to dependent claus' (or is a depend to an independent?) when a Conjunction (For,And, Nor, But, Or Yet) wont sound right...i believe.

a colon is typically used before a list ex. "The boy carried three things in his bag: His Toothbrush, Books and a flashlight."

a dash is used as a "Detour" as my english teacher says. To add in some info that wouldnt otherwise be needed or wanted.


to the true grammar nazis..rip me apart on the Semi colon and dash. I cant explain it in writing, but i know how theyre used. odd, i know.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Maverick on May 14, 2011, 05:54:02 PM
While you may be fairly correct on the use of the semi colon and dash, your use or lack thereof, of the capital letters in your post is horrid.

 :furious


 :neener: :old:
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: MaSonZ on May 14, 2011, 06:15:56 PM
While you may be fairly correct on the use of the semi colon and dash, your use or lack thereof, of the capital letters in your post is horrid.

 :furious


 :neener: :old:
if im typing in general i dont use capitals. if im typing fer english i do. when im writing i miss use capitals...they're all over the place.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Seraphim on May 14, 2011, 06:26:52 PM
if im typing in general i dont use capitals. if im typing fer english i do. when im writing i miss use capitals...they're all over the place.

Misuse. Not miss use - it's one word.





 :neener:
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: MaSonZ on May 15, 2011, 09:58:53 AM
Misuse. Not miss use - it's one word.





 :neener:
why im failing english. i need that credit to walk.  :furious :bhead
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: fbWldcat on May 15, 2011, 10:01:14 AM
You're not supposed to capitalize the first letter of the first word of a list after a colon.  :devil
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: fbWldcat on May 15, 2011, 10:02:47 AM
I'd also recommend that you look into a book The Pen Commendments.

It is a great read and it helps you with basics as well as more in-depth grammar.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: MaSonZ on May 15, 2011, 10:03:19 AM
You're not supposed to capitalize the first letter of the first word of a list after a colon.  :devil
or any other words in a sentence unless its a proper noun.  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: fbWldcat on May 15, 2011, 10:04:55 AM
or any other words in a sentence unless its a proper noun.  :rolleyes:

I never stated anything to the contrary.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: MaSonZ on May 15, 2011, 10:06:02 AM
looked back at my exmaple list and they were all over . no reasons to give young grashoppers back examples. yay or nay?
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: MrRiplEy[H] on May 15, 2011, 10:11:42 AM
OMG lolz u peepz cnt spell 2011 lingo
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: MaSonZ on May 15, 2011, 10:17:26 AM
OMG lolz u peepz cnt spell 2011 lingo
plz stp tlking like dis!
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: fbWldcat on May 15, 2011, 10:20:12 AM
The semi-colon is used to join together two independent clauses. (Independent Clauses are a complete thought and can "stand on their own" whereas a Dependent Clause cannot).
Timothy went to the store; Tim purchased bread and milk.

There, a sentence using a semi-colon. (Subject underlined, verbs italicized).

The use of a dash is for an abrupt change in the sentence in which the subject(s) may be highlighted.
Ex: Those three -Billy, Jane and Walter- went to the concert.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: fbWldcat on May 15, 2011, 10:38:49 AM
The colon can be used in a number of ways: you can use it to start a list after an Independent Clause, insert a quote, use it to introduce a writing  piece of a letter (Ex: Dear Mr. President: ), use it to create a comparison (Example-  Thomas Edison: Lightbulb:: Wright Brothers: Flight [in which case, the colon could be thought of as a shortened way of saying "is to"]).
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: IrishOne on May 15, 2011, 11:05:08 AM
grashoppers


grasshoppers      :aok
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: fbWldcat on May 15, 2011, 12:51:58 PM

Grasshoppers      :aok

This is also a sentence fragment (consider revising).  :P
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: IrishOne on May 15, 2011, 02:01:47 PM
There is no reason to give young grasshoppers back examples. yay or nay?




sure, it was a sentence fragment, but not the way you stated  :aok

This is also a sentence fragment (consider revising).  :P
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: ImADot on May 15, 2011, 07:28:47 PM
or any other words in a sentence unless its a proper noun.  :rolleyes:

its = possesive
it's = it is

Shouldn't there be a comma between "sentence" and "unless"?
Oh, and that sentence fragment should start with an elipsis, right?


...or any other words in a sentence, unless it's a proper noun.


 :D
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: guncrasher on May 16, 2011, 12:54:22 PM
The semi-colon is used to join together two independent clauses. (Independent Clauses are a complete thought and can "stand on their own" whereas a Dependent Clause cannot).
Timothy went to the store; Tim purchased bread and milk.

There, a sentence using a semi-colon. (Subject underlined, verbs italicized).

The use of a dash is for an abrupt change in the sentence in which the subject(s) may be highlighted.
Ex: Those three -Billy, Jane and Walter- went to the concert.


you mean e.g.? 

semp

Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Penguin on May 16, 2011, 01:50:57 PM
Does e.g. mean ergo or example given?

-Penguin
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: ImADot on May 16, 2011, 02:01:32 PM
Does e.g. mean ergo or example given?

-Penguin

Word Usage
  
 e.g. or i.e.?


Do not confuse these two abbreviations, which mean different things and have different origins. The abbreviation e.g., meaning "for or as an example," comes from the Latin expression exempli gratia ("for example"). Use it when you want to list a few typical examples of the thing mentioned: I have the laboratory equipment, e.g., [not i.e.] beakers, thermometers, and test tubes, that we need. Do not end a list that starts with e.g. with etc. The abbreviation i.e., meaning "that is, that is to say," comes from the Latin expression id est ("that is"). Use it when you want to give a more precise description of the thing mentioned: The hearing, i.e., [not e.g.] the preliminary hearing, is set for noon Friday. Two periods punctuate e.g. and i.e. in U.S. English, whereas they may be unpunctuated in British English. Surround these abbreviations with commas.
 

er·go [ ér g, úr g ]
adverb,
conj 
 
Definition:
so: therefore

 

Google man, Google...  ;)
 
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Penguin on May 16, 2011, 02:08:16 PM
Why do I need google when I have grammar nazis? :neener:  However, thank you, i.e., all of you, e.g., ImADot, fbWldcat, Masonz; you have cleared up something that has been bugging me for a while: grammar- it's very, very tough to learn it correctly.

-Penguin

P.S. Do you guys notice anything interesting about this post?
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: ImADot on May 16, 2011, 02:12:07 PM
grammar- it's very, very tough to learn it correctly.

-Penguin

P.S. Do you guys notice anything interesting about this post?

You missed the space between the word "grammar" and the hyphen?   :D
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Dragon on May 16, 2011, 02:39:35 PM
looked back at my exmaple list and they were all over . no reasons to give young grashoppers back examples. yay or nay?

The extra space in this post makes up for the one omitted above.   :old:
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: IrishOne on May 16, 2011, 02:48:59 PM
my favorite is "ect."    ETC.!  ETC.!  it's etcetera!!!   :mad:   not ectcetera
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: fbWldcat on May 16, 2011, 06:52:59 PM
Capitalization is key, IrishOne.  :aok :rofl
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: tassos on May 17, 2011, 12:05:43 AM
Nazi is short for National Sozialist.If you are a Nazi in USA you are a Kind of Sozialist
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: IrishOne on May 17, 2011, 01:46:31 AM
Nazi is short for National Sozialist.If you are a Nazi in USA you are a Kind of Sozialist

We are a tiny bit socialist anyways.     Hear me out....   We have a central banking system and a government controlled postal system, 2 key elements in a socialist society.  Other than that, we are capitalist.   Not trying to go off on a political tangent, but facts are facts.   Plus, I typed this to show fbWldcat my capitalization skills.   :aok
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Dragon on May 17, 2011, 07:50:22 AM
Nazi is short for National Sozialist.If you are a Nazi in USA you are a Kind of Sozialist


Kizi.

That's the shiznits, ferizzle.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Soup Nazi on May 17, 2011, 08:02:27 AM
Hey Grammar Nazis, I have a question for you guys about punctuation.  Under what circumstances do I use the semicolon, colon and dash?  It's been bugging me for a while.

-Penguin

NO ALPHABET SOUP FOR YOU! 1 YEAR!
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: katanaso on May 17, 2011, 08:54:13 AM
my favorite is "ect."    ETC.!  ETC.!  it's etcetera!!!   :mad:   not ectcetera

One that started online is the habit of adding a space before an exclamation point.  Well, thinking about it, it seems that the decline of grammar and spelling is directly related to the growth of the public Internet.

What's really bad is that the mistakes used in casual chat cross over into professional writing or letters.

Have you ever read a cover letter that uses "ect." or a space before an exclamation point?  Or even better, a hand written smiley face!

WTF people!  Don't make "Idiocracy" come true.

:bhead



Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: shiv on May 17, 2011, 10:41:00 AM
One that started online is the habit of adding a space before an exclamation point.  Well, thinking about it, it seems that the decline of grammar and spelling is directly related to the growth of the public Internet.

What's really bad is that the mistakes used in casual chat cross over into professional writing or letters.

Have you ever read a cover letter that uses "ect." or a space before an exclamation point?  Or even better, a hand written smiley face!

WTF people!  Don't make "Idiocracy" come true.

:bhead

For you older geezers - i.e most of you - you may have to unlearn double-spacing after a period. I was taught to double-space growing up, and it's still correct on a typewriter. But on the Internet, e-mail, Word docs, etc it's unnecessary and generally considered wrong.

http://www.slate.com/id/2281146/ (http://www.slate.com/id/2281146/)

If you're not a typographer or editor it might be considered a matter of style, but once you start noticing it you see how weird it looks.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: katanaso on May 17, 2011, 11:46:54 AM
For you older geezers - i.e most of you - you may have to unlearn double-spacing after a period. I was taught to double-space growing up, and it's still correct on a typewriter. But on the Internet, e-mail, Word docs, etc it's unnecessary and generally considered wrong.

http://www.slate.com/id/2281146/ (http://www.slate.com/id/2281146/)

If you're not a typographer or editor it might be considered a matter of style, but once you start noticing it you see how weird it looks.

That's interesting, though I saw where it was a matter of style rather than a rule.

But in another link, this seemed very relevant:  "Furthermore, page designers have written in begging me to encourage people to use one space because if you send them a document with two spaces after the periods, they have to go in and take all the extra spaces out."

I'll see if I can do that on the next email that I compose today. :)

Shiv, read the comments posted on this page as they're pretty interesting.   http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/spaces-period-end-of-sentence.aspx

Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: shiv on May 17, 2011, 12:08:53 PM
You can argue it's a style issue. It does seem readable with just the one space though, or at least it is to me.

At work, most of my communication is via e-mail.  The two spaces really stand out now, like they do in this paragraph.  When I see an old e-mail or post of mine the two spaces seem just wrong.

But maybe switching to the single space is like wearing a toupee or dying your hair. You aint fooling anyone, you're still an old fart.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: grizz441 on May 17, 2011, 12:27:08 PM
A semi colon is to never be used; you'll look pretentious to whomever is reading it.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: IrishOne on May 17, 2011, 01:00:45 PM
A semi colon is to never be used; you'll look pretentious to whomever is reading it.


  :rofl
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: katanaso on May 17, 2011, 02:52:24 PM
You can argue it's a style issue. It does seem readable with just the one space though, or at least it is to me.

At work, most of my communication is via e-mail.  The two spaces really stand out now, like they do in this paragraph.  When I see an old e-mail or post of mine the two spaces seem just wrong.

But maybe switching to the single space is like wearing a toupee or dying your hair. You aint fooling anyone, you're still an old fart.

Oh, I'm not debating it, only pointing out what was written.  For me, it's a habit.  I type a period and automatically tap the spacebar twice when I'm typing the next line.  Like in this sentence.  I've been doing it since 1980.

Personally, for reading, one space or two is fine as neither break up the flow.  It's the lack of paragraphs that make something unreadable.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Dragon on May 17, 2011, 03:03:39 PM

     Oh, I'm not debating it, only pointing out what was written.  For me, it's a habit.  I type a period and automatically tap the spacebar twice when I'm typing the next line.  Like in this sentence.  I've been doing it since 1980.

     Personally, for reading, one space or two is fine as neither break up the flow.  It's the lack of paragraphs that make something unreadable.


There is always the argument for tabbing the beginning of a paragraph too.   :headscratch:
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: Penguin on May 17, 2011, 03:39:52 PM
I do both of these things, and they make it easier for me to read my own writing.

-Penguin
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: ImADot on May 17, 2011, 03:40:00 PM
Many of the "rules" about spacing go back to the days of fixed-width type, such as from a typewriter and/or typesetting machine. With today's proportional fonts, letters in words are closer together and double-spacing after sentences is no longer needed to mark the boundary between sentences...at least that's my opinion.  ;)
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: katanaso on May 17, 2011, 03:44:49 PM

There is always the argument for tabbing the beginning of a paragraph too.   :headscratch:

Yeah.  Funny that you mention it, because I rarely do that when typing.  I do indent when writing with pen on paper.
Title: Re: Grammar Nazis, Assemble!
Post by: fbWldcat on May 17, 2011, 04:48:32 PM
The beginning of a paragraph can be shown with either an indentation with the Tab button, or with a space between paragraphs.

Spacing after a period is habit for most people.Let me show you why.There.This is fun, isn't it? DOUBLE spacing isn't needed, no. Spacing in general? Yes.   :banana:  :D