If you must be out, have an umbrella in one hand and a sports drink in the other. It’s supposed to be 37 tomorrow. Take care of yourself and pay attention to people who have to work outside.
This book happens to have the same title as my hiking group, but there is no connection. Art, architecture, food, things to do, souvenirs, all the iconic must see and must do things presented. Highly recommended for people preparing to explore Osaka.
When I lived in Norway, we had a similar thing that you need to do absolutely anything. It was actually very convenient, saved a lot of paperwork, and made life easier. You can generally trust the Norwegian government to look out for your interests and not abuse a system like that....
The em dash is called the em dash because on old typewriters it was as long as an M. Why do I feel closer to this punctuation mark than the others? It could be partly because I ignored it for so long that it is the last punctuation mark that I got to know, and when I found it, I learned that it could do the work of several other...
In general, I’m just getting some discussion started.
Continentally-challenged = Britain. I was just having fun. That is the usual style there.
This is all my bias. It does all these things and I think that’s very cool. I was poorly taught the semicolon, so when I learned alternatives, I got excited.
My motivation for replacing everything allowed with em dashes is because they look cool and make intuitive sense to readers of all levels. My motivation for replacing semicolons so much I blame on the psychological impact of the poor way they were taught to me, and finding that many people just kind of skim over them without knowing why they are there.
I still teach my students all the punctuation they will encounter.
I find them ugly and unintuitive for people who have not studied them. But I think the real reason is psychological injury from the way I was taught. : ) I’m fine now, just carrying some bias. Hehe.
I feel like the em dash is more serious. And I don’t get a whiny feeling from the semicolon. Outside of academic writing, semicolons just sound pretentious to me. Where are you from? This could be regional.
I can agree with the gist of what you’re saying. They all have distinct uses. However, if you take that too far, the tail starts wagging the dog. Words and context are what should make the distinctions that you ascribe to punctuation. The punctuation is to make it easier to read, and help when pronunciation isn’t there to carry meaning.
With parenthetical phrases it is not always so clear cut that you can decide to use marks to indicate that the reader should pay more or less attention. But you still have to choose one even when it’s arbitrary.
So we teach what the prescriptivists believe applies more cleanly than it does, when in reality there is a lot of overlap where multiple marks could apply. Forcing marks that have explicit meaning where that meaning doesn’t apply changes the meaning of the words.
What I like about the em dash is that it does so much that it allows you to let the words do the talking rather than the punctuation. It’s an approach and a style. Everyone should learn exactly what you are describing and master it. Then explore letting it go when it gets in the way or doesn’t matter.
Neither are wrong. The former is more common in America and is more casual. Funny, because the general rule is that for two phrases that mean the same thing, the more wordy statement usually the more polite.
My wife misheard the lyrics in the Wizard of OZ. (English is her second language.) It probably struck me as funnier than it should have, but she was causally singing, “We have to see the Wizard!” instead of “We’re off to see the Wizard!” Somehow cracked me up that some higher authority had dictated that they must see the Wizard but they were still so stoked about going.
Yup. I sympathize with both of them. The Oxford comma can make American’s cringe. In my own writing, if I am positive there will be no ambiguity, or don’t have time to think about it, I leave it out.
Of course the official rule is that for countable things, like apples, we say fewer, as in, “Why are there fewer apples?” And for things that you can’t really count, you use less, as in “We need more dream time and less screen time.”...
Well, technically, in formal writing ‘less’ is incorrect. Do not use it if you want to come across as educated. It can be considered correct in casual speech because once something is common, we really can’t call it incorrect, but using it will have social implications when you are being judged on language.
I fully agree, but I have to admit, I have made every single mistake that I hate. When I am thinking about the idea and typing fast, I can break any of the rules that I hold dear and judge others on. The one that hit me the hardest was when I wrote ‘then’ when I meant ‘than’. (I reserve particularly harsh judgement for people who make that mistake.) But I’ve also actually written ‘could of’, and every possible iteration of ‘their’, ‘they’re’ and ‘there’ in the wrong context. I have edited for a living for decades. Editing and writing are two different things.
Like I said, I am typing fast and thinking about the ideas. When I do this, I am typing out the words partly based on how they sound. It’s not time for grammar, it’s time for getting my ideas into the computer. That’s when it happens.
Actually, I read it on my phone and cracked up at the joke. Then later when I got on my desktop and began replying to everyone’s comments, I have to admit that I took it in at face value and did not assess it at all for grammar, punctuation or spelling before answering.
OK. There was no need to capitalize the word ‘grammar’, I see no other problems with your post. Your offer sounds very cool. And it will take some time to make something worth showing around. The first post here was yesterday! But it looks like we’ve got some guidelines started, so I think we can make it work.
It's getting hot. People are dropping from heat exhaustion and dehydration. From just little jaunts through the heat, you can begin to feel different. Be safe--stay hydrated.
If you must be out, have an umbrella in one hand and a sports drink in the other. It’s supposed to be 37 tomorrow. Take care of yourself and pay attention to people who have to work outside.
I was at a bookstore in Osaka today and found this book. For those planning on visiting Osaka or already here and wondering what to do, it's the best I've seen. (www.amazon.co.jp)
This book happens to have the same title as my hiking group, but there is no connection. Art, architecture, food, things to do, souvenirs, all the iconic must see and must do things presented. Highly recommended for people preparing to explore Osaka.
I'd like to hear opinions on MyNumber.
When I lived in Norway, we had a similar thing that you need to do absolutely anything. It was actually very convenient, saved a lot of paperwork, and made life easier. You can generally trust the Norwegian government to look out for your interests and not abuse a system like that....
The new Costco in Kadoma will open next month, August 24. (www.costco.co.jp)
The gas station will open in a few days–Aug. 1. But if it is like the other Costco, they’ll require a MasterCard....
Shoigu arrives to North Korea (streamable.com)
Watch "Shoigu arrives to North Korea" on Streamable.
Putin Signs Gender Reassignment Ban Into Law (www.themoscowtimes.com)
I just saw an Apple store get robbed.
The police have detained, as an iWitness.
My friend the em dash.
The em dash is called the em dash because on old typewriters it was as long as an M. Why do I feel closer to this punctuation mark than the others? It could be partly because I ignored it for so long that it is the last punctuation mark that I got to know, and when I found it, I learned that it could do the work of several other...
Have got vs Have
Hi folks....
To Oxford Comma or not to Oxford Comma
My Microsoft account at work made me re-think this because it is pushing me to add more commas that I usually do....
Less vs. Fewer
Of course the official rule is that for countable things, like apples, we say fewer, as in, “Why are there fewer apples?” And for things that you can’t really count, you use less, as in “We need more dream time and less screen time.”...
Hello members of English Usage and Grammar.
I see there are no comments here yet....