tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post2383875159765246372..comments2023-08-22T18:06:50.697+01:00Comments on Angry Sub-Editor: Dots must be stopped!Patrick Neylanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12809820426546001196noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-33338666847103921122015-02-02T02:10:47.802+00:002015-02-02T02:10:47.802+00:00Sorry to be tardy in my reply, but here's my v...Sorry to be tardy in my reply, but here's my view:<br /><br />When I was trying to learn grammar, my invented rule was that “apostrophe s” replaces “the/a…of”. It's ugly in English, but French for example insists on it, as in “la plume de ma tante”. We call it a possessive, but it doesn't imply literal possession. <br /><br />So, in your example, “six week's vacation” is clearly “Patrick Neylanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12809820426546001196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-7722136209506287252014-12-17T14:14:15.841+00:002014-12-17T14:14:15.841+00:00Hello. I realise that it's a bit late in the ...Hello. I realise that it's a bit late in the day but I've only just happened upon your site. I found it rather interesting. I was a grammar school boy and find my teeth frequently grating at the base use of both language and punctuation. In this discourse around full stops at the end of bullet points I spotted one of my own nagging doubts. Sabrina mentioned "six weeks' Robertnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-83037877883202457732012-05-30T13:00:25.510+01:002012-05-30T13:00:25.510+01:00I was brought up to use a mid-point dot as a decim...I was brought up to use a mid-point dot as a decimal point, with the use of a full stop in its place being an inferior convenience when using a typewriter. Hardly ever see it these day, mind.<br />1,234,567·89Dunstanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882985005499837689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-21422499060513061112012-04-28T22:37:08.991+01:002012-04-28T22:37:08.991+01:00Bullet points are a plain-English godsend for maki...Bullet points are a plain-English godsend for making lists clear (better to have four bullets than one long sentence stuffed with the four separate points). This is especially so when writing for the internet and the short attention span that goes with it.<br /><br />If the list items are short, no punctuation is clearer; if they are longer, complete sentences, then full stops make more sense; ifOliver Lawrencehttp://www.proz.com/translator/861452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-36509736080403312672012-04-27T11:55:13.207+01:002012-04-27T11:55:13.207+01:00The moral drawn by you, "Using full stops in ...The moral drawn by you, "Using full stops in bullet points is just dotty," is not good as a universal rule. Chicago Manual, the gospel of US style, clearly mandates that all bulletted sentences in a list will take end dots even if one sentence is complete, otherwise not. To avoid putting unseemly dots after incomplete sentences, the complete sentence should be rephrased.<br />At the Mohinder Bhatnagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06642607092271349972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-23142668245463237572012-04-13T17:14:04.561+01:002012-04-13T17:14:04.561+01:00Why is punctuating bullets any different to punctu...Why is punctuating bullets any different to punctuating running text? If it's a fragment, no need for a stop; if it's a sentence add the stop of your choice.<br />Or am I missing the obvious?MichWalkdenhttp://michcommunication.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-60304823213680441962012-04-05T13:08:56.791+01:002012-04-05T13:08:56.791+01:00Do what you like. But do it consistently.
I di...Do what you like. But do it consistently. <br /><br />I disagree about the bullets. People like them - especially on websites where they are scanning for information.Cathy Howellshttp://www.words-work.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-56165633792775574272012-04-05T12:58:10.787+01:002012-04-05T12:58:10.787+01:00Nobody should use bullet points EVER. It's the...Nobody should use bullet points EVER. It's the Devil's own invention.Michael J Corryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04780267551120349263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-28794756955997592602012-04-04T17:28:59.182+01:002012-04-04T17:28:59.182+01:00I go for the semi-colon option generally (it works...I go for the semi-colon option generally (it works for numbered lists, too) -- this mostly in academic papers/journals. Definitely not full points.<br />Agree with you about the awfulness of most PowerPoint presentationsjrsdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-30504965428276160942012-04-04T16:26:29.053+01:002012-04-04T16:26:29.053+01:00Just as one writes "14-15 January" inste...Just as one writes "14-15 January" instead of "from 14-15 January," because the "from" and a "to" as well are implied in the number range, it seems that the semicolon and "and" before the last bullet are also implied in the structure of a list. If you're going to use them, why bother with the list format? Your example is already punctuated Bonnie Prince Charliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384657968503744571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-59247691440828780972012-04-04T15:59:27.102+01:002012-04-04T15:59:27.102+01:00Ah, but you didn't cover my occasional prefere...Ah, but you didn't cover my occasional preference: the semicolon. I like to use the semi because (if I'm honest) I usually write long sentences that require commas, but if you're someone who's mastered brevity maybe a comma would suffice.<br /><br />It goes like this: I write a long sentence, realize no one will read it, and then retrofit it into a bullet-point list. I know my sabrinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15141842738977552483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-62398817999883746172012-04-04T15:41:49.812+01:002012-04-04T15:41:49.812+01:00Tastes differ, and, while not sharing your prefere...Tastes differ, and, while not sharing your preference, I do not disparage it. Besides, you called me "admirable," and it would be wrong to question your judgment.John McIntyrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03559687583130468871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-41178504846726235122012-04-04T15:41:16.596+01:002012-04-04T15:41:16.596+01:00Bullet points can be long as well as short (the na...Bullet points can be long as well as short (the name is perhaps misleading). If it's more than one sentence, it looks very odd to have a full point at the end of the first sentence, then nothing at the end of the second or final sentence.David Marshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851594536232580727.post-89260974764941698592012-04-04T15:22:46.878+01:002012-04-04T15:22:46.878+01:00Fabulous. Totally agree.Fabulous. Totally agree.Clareangelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com