It's not so much punctuation as completely wrong words that get on my nerves - people writing "I should of done that" instead of "I should have done that". It's the result of a chain of people only half-listening and repeating others without ever paying attention to reading or writing in English. And then there's the ones who think "specifically" has a silent 's'!
Anyway, good punctuation is the difference between knowing your sh*t and knowing you're sh*t.
Forum posts: grammar and punctuation
Re: Forum posts: grammar and punctuation
'I was like basically going to just say that'!!!! People who use 'like' and 'basically' as filler words are just morons. People who also use 'literally' to pad out sentences are vapid cretins.
Re: Forum posts: grammar and punctuation
"The semicolon or semi colon is a punctuation mark that separates major sentence elements. A semicolon can be used between two closely related independent clauses, provided they are not already joined by a coordinating conjunction"
I beg your pardon?
- 1024MAK
- Bugaboo
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- Location: Sunny Somerset in the U.K. in Europe
Re: Forum posts: grammar and punctuation
I’d use a butt-spice myself...
Standby alert
“There are four lights!”
Step up to red alert. Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb
Looking forward to summer later in the year.
“There are four lights!”
Step up to red alert. Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb
Looking forward to summer later in the year.
- MatGubbins
- Dynamite Dan
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Re: Forum posts: grammar and punctuation
Re: Forum posts: grammar and punctuation
Argh! Sentences like that make my head fall apart! As I say, I'm sure we never did this at school. Bristol University has a good guide, although it does contain sentences redolent of the above.
When not used in a complicated list*, it seems that the semicolon is basically a weak full stop masquerading as a strong comma. I keep seeing opportunities to use it, but it's usually an option, and you risk looking like a smartarse if you so choose to take it—it's a nightmare!
*Baby Spice: cutesy, pigtailed and blatantly a Tasmanian devil between the sheets; Sporty Spice: tracksuits, twokking and elecution; Posh Spice: budgie breeder, businesswoman and footballer's wife; Scary Spice: terrifying 'Bo Selecta' deathmask, giant hair and creator of Kat Trap; Ginger Spice: intergalactic peace envoy, yogic flyer and former Club International model.MatGubbins wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:33 pm Baby, Sporty, Posh, Scary and Ginger... I don't recall a butt-spice.
Butt-spice is professional cyclists' slang for a caffeine suppository.
The above may be peppered with mendacity, but it's helping me learn to use the semicolon.
Re: Forum posts: grammar and punctuation
My god...
Re: Forum posts: grammar and punctuation
"coordinating conjunction" means and/or/but/so etc. So if you have an 'and' then there's no place for a semicolon. e.g.
"You're on a donkey and I'm on a horse".
or:
"You're on a donkey; I'm on a horse".
The sentence has two clauses, firstly that you're on a donkey and secondly that I'm on a horse. The two are closely related so are worth mentioning in the same sentence, but they're independent; one fact doesn't rely on the other. I could be on a horse regardless of what you're doing.
Now I could join them with a simple conjunction ("and") but f*ck it, I'm using a semi-colon.
"You're on a donkey and I'm on a horse".
or:
"You're on a donkey; I'm on a horse".
The sentence has two clauses, firstly that you're on a donkey and secondly that I'm on a horse. The two are closely related so are worth mentioning in the same sentence, but they're independent; one fact doesn't rely on the other. I could be on a horse regardless of what you're doing.
Now I could join them with a simple conjunction ("and") but f*ck it, I'm using a semi-colon.