Syntax Construction Kit arrived!
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:00 am
Cool! Now, can we buy it *without* going through Amazon?
If you are talking about his use of space near m-dashes, that's how Zompist likes to use them actually. You can find such usage of space as far back as the old version of the online LCK.Frislander wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:30 amThe text on the webpage is a little broken on the punctuation front.
That's how everyone uses em-dashes, unless they're a British literary publisher writing in 1920, or unless they wish they were.Ser wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 3:34 pmIf you are talking about his use of space near m-dashes, that's how Zompist likes to use them actually. You can find such usage of space as far back as the old version of the online LCK.Frislander wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:30 amThe text on the webpage is a little broken on the punctuation front.
The last couple of URLs all point to your syntax toys post rather than the book review posts.zompist wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:50 pm Also, here's the description page:
http://www.zompist.com/syntax.html
You're thinking of en-dashes. En-dashes typically use a space, em-dashes typically do not.Salmoneus wrote: ↑Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:41 amThat's how everyone uses em-dashes, unless they're a British literary publisher writing in 1920, or unless they wish they were.Ser wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 3:34 pmIf you are talking about his use of space near m-dashes, that's how Zompist likes to use them actually. You can find such usage of space as far back as the old version of the online LCK.Frislander wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:30 amThe text on the webpage is a little broken on the punctuation front.
I suspect Frislander means the way that every apostrophe has been replaced with ’...
...no, I'm thinking of em-dashes. Em-dashes typically use a space, just like en-dashes. This is the general convention in the UK, outside of the OUP (hence the 'British literary publisher in 1920' remark), and in US journalism (eg the AP and NYT style guides). Although I'd admittedly forgotten that apparently the CMS weirdly prefers them without the spaces.Zaarin wrote: ↑Sat Dec 08, 2018 1:25 pmYou're thinking of en-dashes. En-dashes typically use a space, em-dashes typically do not.
It's true that I don't read any fiction, but I don't think I have ever encountered Zompist's use of space around m-dashes in all the reading I do of works in linguistics and software programming.Salmoneus wrote: ↑Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:41 amThat's how everyone uses em-dashes, unless they're a British literary publisher writing in 1920, or unless they wish they were.Ser wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 3:34 pmIf you are talking about his use of space near m-dashes, that's how Zompist likes to use them actually. You can find such usage of space as far back as the old version of the online LCK.Frislander wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:30 amThe text on the webpage is a little broken on the punctuation front.
This is wrong. The AP and NYT style guides recommend using spaces both before and after the m-dash. Zompist uses spaces only after the m-dash, using no space before. Like this: abc— def— ghi. This is why I call it weird / very idiosyncratic.Salmoneus wrote: ↑Sat Dec 08, 2018 2:58 pm...no, I'm thinking of em-dashes. Em-dashes typically use a space, just like en-dashes. This is the general convention in the UK, outside of the OUP (hence the 'British literary publisher in 1920' remark), and in US journalism (eg the AP and NYT style guides). Although I'd admittedly forgotten that apparently the CMS weirdly prefers them without the spaces.