Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 15:50:06 GMT From: "Ben Kaduk" <minimarmot@gmail.com> To: freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: docs/114265: grammar and other nits in handbook/basics section Message-ID: <200707041550.l64Fo6rK072377@freefall.freebsd.org>
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The following reply was made to PR docs/114265; it has been noted by GNATS. From: "Ben Kaduk" <minimarmot@gmail.com> To: "Marc Fonvieille" <blackend@freebsd.org> Cc: freebsd-gnats-submit@freebsd.org Subject: Re: docs/114265: grammar and other nits in handbook/basics section Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 15:42:11 +0000 On 7/4/07, Marc Fonvieille <blackend@freebsd.org> wrote: > On Tue, Jul 03, 2007 at 07:12:15PM +0000, Ben Kaduk wrote: > > > > >Number: 114265 > > >Category: docs > > >Synopsis: grammar and other nits in handbook/basics section > > >Confidential: no > > >Severity: non-critical > > >Priority: low > > >Responsible: freebsd-doc > > >State: open > > >Quarter: > > >Keywords: > > >Date-Required: > > >Class: doc-bug > > >Submitter-Id: current-users > > >Arrival-Date: Tue Jul 03 19:20:00 GMT 2007 > > >Closed-Date: > > >Last-Modified: > > >Originator: Ben Kaduk > > >Release: 7.0-CURRENT > > >Organization: > > >Environment: > > System: FreeBSD prolepsis.scs.uiuc.edu 7.0-CURRENT FreeBSD 7.0-CURRENT #1: Sun Apr 1 16:59:00 UTC 2007 kaduk@prolepsis.scs.uiuc.edu:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC i386 > > >Description: > > I attach a diff with many small changes in it; I'll take them in order. > > [snip] > > > > o colon separated-->colon-separated (twice): style? > > > [...] > > Hello, > > I cannot find any reference for this one, do you have some links about > this usage? > > -- > Marc > Hi Marc, Well, the most convenient reference for me is the MLA handbook (6th ed.) (about three feet away), which sayeth: 3.2.6 Hyphens Compound words of all types -- nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on -- are written as separate words, with hypens, and as single words. The dictionary shows how to write many compounds; if a compound is not in the dictionary, it should usually be written as separate words unless a hyphen is needed to prevent readers from misunderstanding the relation between the words. Following are some rules that may help you decide...: (a) use a hyphen in a compound adjective beginning with an adverb such as better, best, ill, lower, little, or well when the adjective precedes a noun. But do not use a hyphen when the compound adjective comes after the noun it modifies (b) Do not use a hyphen when the compound adjective comes after the noun it modifies. (c) Use a hyphen in a compound adjective ending with the present participle (e.g. loving) or the past participle (e.g. inspired) of a verb when the adjective precedes a noun. (d) [numerical prefixes] (e) Use hyphens in other compound adjectives before nouns to prevent misreading. (f) Do not use hyphens in familiar unhyphenated compound terms such as social security, high school, liberal arts, and show business, when they appear before nouns as modifiers. (g) [join coequal nouns] [but not unequal nouns] (h) [not after prefixes, usually] In this case, colon-separated list, I am not sure if separated is acting as past participle (lousy english teachers in my past) (c), but I think that this ``suggestion'' of the MLA is why I instinctively want to hyphenate colon-separated here. In terms of links, I (having read the above) found this NYU site: http://www.nyu.edu/classes/copyXediting/Hyphens.html which seems to have the same rules as MLA (see Adjective Forms section, numbers 4 (and 9?)) University of Minnesota seems somewhat anti-hyphen compared to others, but still have the past- or present-participle rule: http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/style/hyphens.html (see ``Unit Modifiers'', numbers 1 and 6) It seems that if ``separated'' is a participle here (please tell me if it is, I'm not sure), the hyphen is in order, but otherwise, the authorities are a bit contested. Thanks for looking into this. -Ben Kaduk
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