Slog - Comments on Celebrate the Colon http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon Not THAT colon; this one: ( Today is National Punctuation Day (the fourth annual). You might celebrate by reading a newspaper in search of comma errors, introducing your kid to semicolons, buying a new style guide, or taking a Sharpie on a walk in search of shop-sign errors. More info at nationalpunctuationday.com (motto: "A semicolon is not a surgical procedure"). Free lesson: Punctuation with Quotation Marks In American English, periods and commas ALWAYS go inside closing quotation marks. Colons, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation points can go in or out, depending on whether they're part of the quote or not.... Copyright 2008 Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:20:40 -0800 Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:19:46 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by frederick r Thats what we need; more holiday's.

]]> frederick r http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810023 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810023 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:51:59 -0800 Comment by supergp Putting periods and commas inside quotation marks is both counterintuitive and obfuscating at times, however.

It's one of the few rules of English that I don't like.

]]> supergp http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810028 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810028 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:58:52 -0800 Comment by Levislade I think we should take this day as an opportunity to throw virtual toilet paper at the house of Verlyn Klinkenborg, who recently wrote the following: "The one good thing to say about emoticons — especially the winking happy face — is that it offers the only legitimate use of the semicolon outside academic writing."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/opinion/16observer.html

Fie, I say! Both to that horribly constructed sentence and its ridiculous sentiment.

]]> Levislade http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810045 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810045 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:13:18 -0800 Comment by chops never say ALWAYS...
there are rare instances when the period may and should terminate outside of the quotation marks, even in American usage.

colon. period. semiurinarytract. colostomy mark.

]]> chops http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810056 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810056 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:20:46 -0800 Comment by Eric F In MLA style, you put the period after the citation. "It's hard to do without feeling like you're doing something wrong" (Fredericksen 24).

]]> Eric F http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810068 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810068 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:32:49 -0800 Comment by shitbrain In American English, periods and commas ALWAYS go inside closing quotation marks.

Such illogical horseshit. Anybody who follows this rule hasn't a brain between their ears.

]]> shitbrain http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810076 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810076 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:41:49 -0800 Comment by Kiru Banzai Fuck "American English".

]]> Kiru Banzai http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810083 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810083 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:50:34 -0800 Comment by QuimbyMcF It all depends on which prescriptivist style guide you prefer to follow(n dash)if you have a preference at all (full stop) Do what makes sense to you and for your reader (full stop)

]]> QuimbyMcF http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810087 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810087 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:54:39 -0800 Comment by skweetis I add my voice to the chorus against the absurd comma inside the quotes rule. It's "retarded".

They dehyphenated chickpea, who do we have to blow to get this rule changed?

]]> skweetis http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810089 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810089 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:55:01 -0800 Comment by Gloria I really don't understand why people continue to be confused by the semicolon; it's easy stuff.

]]> Gloria http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810092 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810092 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:02:15 -0800 Comment by David Wright The comma-inside-the-quote rule almost takes the prize for the most bone-headed American writing convention.

What wins the prize, though, is the Mondy-Day-Year convention for dates. Middle unit, small unit, big unit?! Who came up with that bright idea?

]]> David Wright http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810103 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810103 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:08:37 -0800 Comment by Sicko I just celebrated my colon about a half-hour ago -- in the shitter!

Next week, an ode to the em-dash.

]]> Sicko http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810158 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810158 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:00:09 -0800 Comment by Dougsf American date writing conventions DO suck, as do American paper sizes.

]]> Dougsf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810199 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810199 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:50:05 -0800 Comment by Carollani Thanks Amy Kate!

]]> Carollani http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810229 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/09/celebrate_the_colon#c810229 Books Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:19:46 -0800