― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 8 March 2004 00:45 (twenty years ago) link
hyphensOur style is to use one word wherever possible, including some instances where a word might be hyphenated by other publications. Hyphens tend to clutter up text (particularly when the computer breaks already hyphenated words at the end of lines)
Inventions, ideas and new concepts often begin life as two words, then become hyphenated, before finally becoming accepted as one word. Why wait? "Wire-less" and "down-stairs" were once hyphenated. In pursuit of this it is preferable to go further than Collins does in many cases: eg trenchcoat is two words in Collins but one under our style
Never use hyphens after adverbs, eg politically naive, wholly owned. But do use them to form compound adjectives, eg two-tonne vessel, three-year deal
Do use hyphens where not using one would be ambiguous, eg to distinguish "black-cab drivers come under attack" from "black cab-drivers come under attack"
― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 8 March 2004 00:48 (twenty years ago) link
― Mary (Mary), Monday, 8 March 2004 00:54 (twenty years ago) link
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 8 March 2004 00:57 (twenty years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 03:45 (twenty years ago) link
Tracer, I read this as advocating the phrase "fact-checking" as a verb (sorry, should have made that clear) so thanks were in order!
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 04:16 (twenty years ago) link
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 04:17 (twenty years ago) link
― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 09:43 (twenty years ago) link
― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 11:44 (twenty years ago) link
assuming i only have one brother, would it be acceptable to write, "I went with my brother Isaac to the store" or do i have to write, "I went with my brother, Isaac, to the store" ?
for some reason i am under the impression that non-essential info can be stuck in without commas as long as it is only one or two words. but apparently, this is wrong?
― j c (j c), Friday, 1 October 2004 03:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 1 October 2004 03:37 (nineteen years ago) link
― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 1 October 2004 04:13 (nineteen years ago) link
(fun with nonessential elements)
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Friday, 1 October 2004 05:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Friday, 1 October 2004 05:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Friday, 1 October 2004 06:16 (nineteen years ago) link
'I went to the store with my brother Isaac.'
― Core of Sphagnum (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 1 October 2004 06:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Friday, 1 October 2004 12:17 (nineteen years ago) link
The evidence for “Americanization” of French culture is mixed, and its extent is impossible to measure, as culture is not easily definable, let alone quantifiable.
Please can you help me arrange it so it sounds better. Most importantly I need a more essay-register way of saying "let alone", but the whole sentence seems really clumsy still and I don't know how to fix it.
I hope there's someone around who can help. My head hurts.
― Cathy (Cathy), Sunday, 28 November 2004 17:59 (nineteen years ago) link
Culture is not easily definable, much less quantifiable. Thus, not only is the evidence for "Americanization" of French culture mixed, but its actual extent is impossible to measure.
?
― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Sunday, 28 November 2004 18:08 (nineteen years ago) link
― Cathy (Cathy), Sunday, 28 November 2004 18:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 28 November 2004 18:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 28 November 2004 18:17 (nineteen years ago) link
the "not only/but" thing is unnecessary
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 28 November 2004 18:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 28 November 2004 18:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Sunday, 28 November 2004 18:57 (nineteen years ago) link
Thanks all.
I just finished my essay, wahey!!
― Cathy (Cathy), Sunday, 28 November 2004 19:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 28 November 2004 19:41 (nineteen years ago) link
I've decided to switch from a Jan 27, 1997 format to a 27 Jan 1997 format for dates because eliminating the extra comma helps the readability of some of my nastier sentences.
― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Sunday, 28 November 2004 20:46 (nineteen years ago) link
Here it is: "Although there are many different types of HLA proteins, each person has only a small, relatively unique set that is inherited from their parents."
Thanks much. And, uh, I'm on deadline, so hurry up!
― quincie, Monday, 2 May 2005 17:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― Miss Misery (thatgirl), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Mad Puffin, Monday, 2 May 2005 17:30 (nineteen years ago) link
― diedre mousedropping (Dave225), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:32 (nineteen years ago) link
Although there are many different types of HLA proteins, individuals inherit from their parents only a small and relatively unique subset.
etc.
― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:32 (nineteen years ago) link
― ken c (ken c), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:32 (nineteen years ago) link
"Although many different types of HLA proteins exist, each person inherits only a small, realtively unique set."
.. not sure if that meaning is accurate or not. You may want to clarify the sentence in that .. is only the inherited set small, or is the total set small?
― diedre mousedropping (Dave225), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:34 (nineteen years ago) link
You don't have to be a grammar/usage nazi to object to torture in all its forms, including wrt the language.
― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:35 (nineteen years ago) link
Also, I want to kill the person who prompted Andrew's initial post.
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 2 May 2005 17:48 (nineteen years ago) link
So, any thoughts on "relatively unique?" Oh shit I'm an idiot, I just realized that is a great pun! Maybe I should keep it, then.
― quincie, Monday, 2 May 2005 18:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Ghost of Part in Parens Optional (Dan Perry), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:32 (nineteen years ago) link
― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:50 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― diedre mousedropping (Dave225), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:00 (nineteen years ago) link
I was hoping to just get rid of the whole "unique" problem and go with something that means what Dan said, but not using that irksome word. Old-school is to insist that there are no degrees of unique; either it is or it isn't, period.
― quincie, Monday, 2 May 2005 19:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Ghost of I Don't Like That Either (Dan Perry), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:06 (nineteen years ago) link
HUMAN LEUKOCYTE ANTIGEN: also known as major histocompatibility complex (MHC). These proteins are found on the outside of almost every cell in the body and play an important part in controlling the immune system. Although there are many different types of HLA proteins, each person has only a small, relatively unique set that is inherited from their parents. Some HLA types are associated either a faster or slower progression of HIV disease. The type of HLA proteins a person has is also important in identifying good "matches" for tissue grafts and organ transplants.
So yeah, ya'll can go to town on the rest of it, too (if you like!).
Do I have the world's coolest job or what?
― quincie, Monday, 2 May 2005 19:07 (nineteen years ago) link