Search results for 'tag:Colons tag:Sentence structures' matching tags 'Colons' and 'Sentence structures'

Re: On the use of "by" and on the use of commas

Mister Micawber — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:46:14 GMT

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1-- No, I don't see that by is necessary.
2-- Style guides can vary somewhat, but according to mine, namely, that is, for example, i.e. and e.g. are all followed by a comma and preceded by some kind of punctuation (comma, semicolon, parenthesis, etc.) depending on the sentence structure.

Re: hospitals = facilities?

Mister Micawber — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:49:33 GMT

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M-dashes are becoming more and more acceptable in written English. I don't see how sentence structure is affected; the m-dashes merely replace colons in a less formal style:

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the yin of hospitals: nonprofits reaping big profits. Now we have the hospital yang: those facilities struggling to break even on patient care.

Re: dash

Mister Micawber — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:54:11 GMT

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Justified? Well, all I can say is that they work OK in your examples. M-dashes are a relatively informal but increasingly popular-- and rather vague-- connective punctuation. They are used "to denote a sudden break in thought that causes an abrupt change in sentence structure." [Chicago Manual of Style]. They usually replace parentheses, but can also subsitute-- in some cases-- for colons and commas.

(Unknown 22884)OHHH I FINALLY CAN POST!!!

Jen001 — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:51:40 GMT

"The Change of the Characteristics in the passage from The Hours"

The passage from the novel The Hours by Michael Cunningham is intriguing. The passage illustrates the difference between the character's characteristics in different time settings: past and present. This difference is clearly shown through the contrasting structure, imagery and language.

The structure reflects the division of the time setting and helps to contrast the different characteristics. The passage has two paragraphs, each describing the character's thoughts and perception about a same place, of the past and present. The length of each paragraph is different; the one from the past is much longer than the other one from the present. This can be related to each of the paragraph's sentence construction. In the first paragraph, about the past, the lengths of the sentences are very long. The first sentence takes eight lines, lengthened continuously within commas, semi-colons and colons. In fact, in one sentence, there are five commas, five semi-colons and a colon. This overly-continued sentence gives a sense of unfiltered, informal, and unrestricted flowing of thoughts. Moreover, the use of brackets, âsome sort of wood(cedar? Camphor?),â seems to be less sophisticated, compared to using dashes or other punctuations of the same function. However, in the second paragraph of the present, the sentence construction is shown contrastingly. The paragraph starts with a short simple sentence: âShe turns down Bleecker, goes up Thomson.â Also, in this paragraph, there are four sentences in six lines, and three of the four sentences are written in simple sentence, including the example above. Although there are a few commas in some of the sentences, there is no semi-colon, but only a colon in the last sentence. The colon is used in a very appropriate way, functioning to introduce the list of âthingsâ, such as âjewelryâ and âjackets.â Thus, within the brief and concise sentence construction, the character in the present appears to be more mature, filtered and sophisticated than in the past. However, as a result of that, the sense of youthful, unfiltered freedom cannot be found anymore in the present.

In addition to the structure, the contrasting imagery of each paragraph demonstrates further differences of the characteristic in the past and present. As both paragraphs are of the same setting, the image of the same place is described at each time. So, the consistent place makes the comparison between the two more distinctive and reliable. The imagery of the place is very vivid in the past, not only within the visual sense, but also within the auditory and olfactory senses, whereas that of the past only relies on the sense of sight. For example, in the past, âthe neighborhoodâ is depicted as âthe center of something new and wildâ in âthe city where the sound of guitars drifted all nightâ and âwhere the stores â¦ smelled the way â¦ Arab bazaars must smell.â This is detail, imaginative and lively, even the âArab bazaarsâ creates a somewhat mystical and adventurous atmosphere. This interesting and passionate depiction is being minimized in the present into three words: an âimitation of itself.â It is now âa watered-down carnival for tourists,â which gives a sense of inactivity and boredom. Also, the stores now âall sell essentially the same things,â such as âsouvenir T-shirts.â This seems to be dull, with no excitement or creativity or passion. This changed imagery, depicted by the character, rather shows the change in the character's perception. The change in perception is demonstrated more clearly within the notion of the âdoorâ and âalley.â In the past, she says, âif you passed through the wrong door or down the wrong alley you would meet a fate,â however, in the present, she âknows that behind these doors, and down these alleys lies nothing more or less than people living their lives.â In the past, she seems to be more concerned with the 'inner' world of thought or imagination. Whereas in the present, she seems to be more grounded in the external world of physical reality. As like the previously discussed change in the sentence structure, she is now more sophisticated, knowledgeable and realistic than the past. Also, as like the image of the place, her perception changed from the creative, interesting and adventurous to the boring, predictable and filtered way. Thus, the contrasting imagery of the past and present reflects the similar change in the character's perception.

While the structure and the imagery convey the distinctive change in the characteristics of the character, the contrasting use of language supports those differences. More specifically, the diction [dash]shown in the past and the present[dash] is comparable. Reflecting the imagery of the varied senses, the words and expressions used in the past are also varied and animated, such as âincense and richâ and âdung-y dustâ describing the smell of the stores. These two expressions, âincense and richâ and âdung-y dustâ are contrasting; they express the diversity of the object. Moreover, the speaker creates a non-existing adjective, âdung-y.â The extra adding of â-yâ grants a more animated image, and it gives a sense of freedom and even somewhat childishness. The âsmellâ is then described as âsomething fruitily, fertilely rotting.â Again, she creates a non-existing adverb, âfruitily,â expressing the scent rather vividly, which would be sour as it ârots.â The other adverb âfertilelyâ contributes to create a sense of abundance and richness of the imagery. However, the use of those two positive adverbs, modifying the negative verb ârottingâ seems to be oxymoron in âfruit[full]â or âfertile,â as well as the use of adjective âdisreputable,â following ânew and wild.â The oxymoron adds an unpredictable sense to the imagery and hence to the depicter's thoughts. On the other hand, in the present, the adjectives used to describe the âcityâ and the âstores,â are ânothing,â âless,â âsame,â and âstill.â All of them are negative and reflect the boredom, dullness and hopelessness. More significantly, the speaker uses the adverb, âGrotesquelyâ before describing how âthe same bars and coffeehouses are still [th]ereâ, showing the character's cynical characteristic. So does the use of the adjective âcheapâ for the goods at the stores. Thus, in the past, the character uses language interestingly [dash] it is diverse, lively and creative [dash] whereas that of the past is inactive, hopeless and cynical. These differences are directly reflecting the character's contrasting, changed characteristic.

The change of the characteristic seems to be abrupt. As a cause, something would have happened to her, that is not shown in the passage. However, an assumption can be drawn within the evidences from the passage. There is a shift in the first paragraph within âHere,â showing the shifted tense from the past to the past perfect. In the past perfect, there is a scene of Clarissa, the major character, and her boyfriend Richard. She seems to appreciate Richard a lot, for example, she does not use the pronoun 'he' for âRichard,â even though he is the only male character. So, in a sentence, Richard is successively repeated three times, âwith Richard, when Richard â¦ when Richard.â Moreover, she describes his appearance in detail; he âwas nineteen,â âa firm-featured, hard-eyed, not-quite-beautiful dark-haired boy with an impossibly long and graceful, very pale neck.â So, to describe Richard, she combines an adjective and a noun to create a single adjective, such as âhard-eyed.â This shows her seriousness about describing him precisely. His âimpossibly longâ and âvery paleâ neck would seem negative, if not for the complementary adjective âgraceful.â Also, the adverb âimpossiblyâ gives a sense of special and unusual feeling for the person. Besides the use of language, the use of punctuation should also be noted. There are many commas, causing the sentences to seem choppy. This would be imitating the feeling of uncertainty and the tension in the situation. The uncertainty of the situation is shown in the line, ââ¦about what? A kiss? Had Richard kissed her, or had she, Clarissaâ¦,â also the tension created as they âhad certainly argued.â Then, the reason for the âargu[ment]â is explained: âClarissa wanted her freedom and Richard wanted, well, too much.â It is notable that as Richard âwanted â¦ too muchâ relating to the âkiss,â the pronoun 'he' is used as âdidn't he always?â In this case, however, the pronoun 'he' seems to more likely indicate every 'man', rather than particularly âRichard.â Thereafter the paragraph ends, and the paragraph of the present starts. It is not sure whether the abrupt change in Clarissa's characteristic is due to âRichardâ or not. Although it is not, it is evident that Clarissa once considered and cared about him quite specially.

Despite of the uncertain reason, the change in the Clarissa's characteristic from the past to the present is shown clearly throughout the contrasting structure, imagery and language. The characteristic includes the thoughts and perception, which were unrestricted, unfiltered, creative and animated in the past; whereas in the present, they are shown restricted, filtered, dull and inactive. The change is extreme, but no particular evidence for the extremity is being suggested, except the short scene with Richard. Thus, this passage not only introduces the setting and the character, but also evokes the reader's curiosity: What has happened to Clarissa?

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I really really really appreciate for your help... Thank you..!

Re: Clauses and Semi-Colon.

Clive — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 01:01:14 GMT

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

Just a quick question everyone. I never understood clauses and why they would be used. If anyone can shed light on this, I'd truly appreciate it. Below, I will give an example.

Michael Jordan is a great athlete; he has won several championships.

My question is...why would that be used? I've seen sentence structures on this on various articles I read. I don't use it myself because I don't know how to use it

I assume that you are asking about the use of a semi-colon to link two main clauses. You could write it as two separate sentences ie Michael Jordan is a great athlete. He has won several championships. However, if you feel that there is a very close and special relationship between the two clauses, you can replace the period with a semi-colon. Another way to think of this is to say that you want a shorter pause than a period represents.

Generally speaking, my suggestion is to do this only where your clauses are not only closely related but also important or dramatic or stylish in some way. eg He loved her; she died. but not He went to the store; he bought milk.

Another simple tip is not to use a lot of semi-colons. If your writing is full of them, you are using too many.

If you search the Forum for 'semi-colon', you will find plenty of threads that discuss this.

Best wishes, Clive

Clauses and Semi-Colon.

ChoosingToBe — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 00:29:06 GMT

Re: "The computer cannot start.."

Anonymous — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 14:19:16 GMT

Hi,

You said that you think the sentence is correct but at the same time, you definitely think the sentence needs a semicolon. I saw the kind of sentence structure with no employment of semicolons but instead employing commas to serve the writer's prpose. Let me get it straight. Do you think it is all right to write as this?

The computer cannot be started because the plug is loose, please tigthen it.

Re: How to deal with an unpleasant English teacher?

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 21:25:58 GMT

Dear Beverly,

I am not an English expert, (far from it, I too suck at writing and am a terrible speller and it is my first and only language!) but if I were to judge you by your letter and the writing skills demonstrated there....Well I'm sorry to say but you are not writing at a level that one would find in college. On the contrairy, I would judge that you are writing at a 7th grade level. And If I were you, I would use this "critizism" to empower myself to LEARN, LEARN, LEARN! From the errors that you have displayed in your writing, I can tell by reading it that English is not your first language. You are improperly using the (COLON in your writing, and just look at how F---ked up the paragraph that starts with "In the end" is. Not to mention the run on sentences and punction errors and and the use of words as singular verses plural, and the sentence structure itself the arrangement of nouns and verbs and the placement of the subject of the sentence. A good writer is a good writer wether they are writing in their native tounge or in their adopted language, If you learn the rules of the language and follow thoes rules then you will be a good writer. I know many people that speak English as a scond language and can spell and write much better than I! (much to my shame) but sometimes the people that are brutally honest with us are actually doing us a favor and that is telling it like it is! And yes, I agree with your English you suck at writing....NOW DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! LEARN THE RULES!

Brady.

Re: dashes---causing problems or solving them?

rvw — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 23:12:03 GMT

A Blinkin',

A colon could be used in some of your examples in which one phrase or clause supplements the other. The dash gives a bit more emphasis; the colon is a bit more formal.

To round out our discussion, here is how Webster's Third New International Dictionary describes the use of the colon.

6. THE COLON

6.1 The colon, corresponding to a fading or sustained pause in speech, is a rhetorical mark of supplementation. It links clauses, phrases, or less often single words; it indicates that what follows it coordinates with some element of what precedes or sometimes with all of what precedes back to the beginning of a sentence.

-Elaboration
    The same forced yes-or-no choice appears on referenda on public questions: the voter cannot express approval of some parts and disapproval of others unless amended.

-Definition
    It vigorously opposes clandestine marriages: that is, marriages which were made outside the auspices of the Church.

-Balance
    His ambition must be stirred: his greed must be played upon.

-Enumeration
    The following items of equipment are necessary: sleeping bag, ground cloth, cooking utensils, and a small axe.

-Restatement
    The author never exploits any whimsical or romantic elements in this subject: he maintains throughout the decent, workmanlike attitude he has set himself.

-Antithesis
    Local currencies, like local laws, were not suppressed: they were encouraged to improve.

-Summation
    His death raised the possibility that his political heirs might seek the final solution for insolvent, disorganized government: war.

-Apposition
    The question is this: will the removal of restrictions lead to freedom or license?

Usually what precedes a colon is general and what follows is specific but sometimes the relation is reversed.
-Physics and biology, evolution and anthropology, conservation and religion: he discusses them all.

I think a dash could replace the colon in any of the above. The dash is somewhat less formal and marks a more definite pause and a shift in thought or sentence structure. The colon links what precedes it with what follows. The colon would not be used when, for example, the sentence completely changes direction.

Re: dashes---causing problems or solving them?

rvw — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 22:37:41 GMT

I like the dash. It lets one add emphasis and (dramatic) pauses.

I think the summary in Webster's Third New International Dictionary is excellent:

7. THE DASH

7.0 In its function in writing and in the speech intonation to which it corresponds, the dash is similar to the comma and the colon, and a pair of dashes is similar to parentheses.

7.1 A dash usually marks an abrupt change or suspension in the thought or structure of a snetence <If you will listen I will explain -- but perhaps another time will be better.> <The mountain we climbed is higher than -- oh, never mind how high it is.> <He was -- how shall I put it -- a controversial figure to say the least.> <"Yes, but I -- er -- I'll have to --" and he stopped hopelessly.>

7.2 A dash often makes parenthetic, appositional, or explanatory matter stand out clearly or emphatically <Three of the country's most important products -- oil, steel, and wheat -- are produced in greater quantities than ever before.> <Two of our group -- Eddie and John -- came walking down the street.> <He is willing to discuss all problems -- those he has solved and those for which there is no immediate solution.>

7.3 A dash often occurs before a summarizing statement or clause <Oil, steel, and wheat -- these are the sinews of industrialization.>

7.4 A dash sometimes sets off appositional or parenthetic matter that is introduced by such expressions as namely, for example, that is <Sports develop two valuable traits -- namely, self-control and the ability to make quick decisions.>

7.5 A dash often mechanically precedes the name of an author or source at the end of a quoted passage <There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune --William Shakespeare> <"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" --Genesis 1:1

7.6 A long dash often functions as a notational device to indicate the omission of a word or of letters in a word <yelling ---- loudly> <Mr. M---- of New York> <go to the d----l>

7.7 A short dash -- slightly larger than a hyphen -- often serves as an arbitrary equivalent of to and including between numbers or dates and in compounding capitalized two-word names with the hyphen <pages 40-98> <the decade 1951-60> <the New York-Lisbon plane>

Therefore, before John could go to school, he had to prepare his school supplies; only then could he leave home--making the first day of school a memorable one. A dash is needed. Making has no referent; there is a shift in sentence structure.

He regarded these people--ones who have come from different backgrounds--as the best of the best. Commas could be used around the appositional clause, but it would stand out less.

He suffered for ten years--being ridiculed, slandered and rejected, and even deserted by his family. A comma could be used, but again, I think the effect would be lessened.

This was the second age--the Age of Kings. A comma or (less likely) a colon could be used.

The cursed, the punished, or the blessed--with him, there is no such parlance! A dash is needed because of the abrupt change in thought and sentence structure.

So it was proved that Veronica didn't to school--if you still think so, aren't you blind? As above.

Larry shouldn't climb the mountain--not that he could do so, even if he tried. As above, though a comma might work.