Wednesday 30 November 2011

Punctuation II : Hyphen v En Dash

Now let’s take a look at the distinction between a hyphen and an en dash. Hyphens (-) and en dashes (–) cannot be used interchangeably.

The Hyphen (-)

1. The hyphen is used for linking compound words (e.g. avoid the build-up of waste products; ensure the garment is not dry-clean only), and for words with a prefix (e.g. the pre-war collection), but not in phrasal verbs (e.g. don’t build up your hopes too much).

2. The hyphen is used in compounds which modify nouns (e.g. he was a well-known academic; compare, e.g. the academic was well known), and for showing that a certain group of words in a sentence should be read together (e.g. try our new bake-it-yourself bread).

3. It can also be seen when splitting a word at the end of a line in printed text: the formatting can be automatic or manual, and there are rules about how words should be split.

The En Dash (–)

The en dash is so named because it is the width of the letter n. It is longer than a hyphen. To type an en dash press the Control key and the minus key. There are four main uses of the en dash.

1. Range of values

2000–2010

September–December

16–18 marks

pp. 20–40

2. Relationships and connections

father–son relationship

Mann–Whitney U Test

3. Breaks (which could be marked by a comma, semicolon or colon)

I’m sure I’ve been here before – the buildings look so familiar

4. Parenthesis (which could be marked by brackets)

Her mother – who was a scary woman – insisted on being present

Thursday 24 November 2011

Punctuation I : The Semicolon

Let’s take a break from homophones and consider the semicolon (;).

Semicolons are frequently misused – I generally find that they are either overused (replacing colons and commas) or not used at all.

There are three rules to remember when using a semicolon:

1. A semicolon is used to separate items in a list where there are already commas within items.

You’ll get paid for walking the dogs at numbers 27, 35, and 41; mowing the lawn at numbers 33 and 37; and washing the cars at numbers 23, 25, 27, and 29.

2. A semicolon is used to distinguish between closely related independent clauses that are not joined with a conjunction (and, or, but, so, etc.).

I wanted to sell my house; I put it on the market.

3. A semicolon is placed between an independent clause and a semi clause that is linked with a transitional phrase or a conjunctive adverb (e.g. however, thus, of course, etc.).

It could happen at any time; however, I seriously doubt it.

Of the three rules, Rule 1 is the most common use of the semicolon and Rule 3 is the least common use (it is mostly used in academic texts).

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Homophones III

So, its time to analyse advice and advise. This one is pretty simple. All you have to do is remember that one is a verb and one is a noun.

  1. Advice is a noun, ‘guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent action’ (OED).

For example: I gave my daughter some fatherly advice.

  1. Advise is the verb, ‘to offer suggestions about the best course of action to someone’ (OED).

For example: I would like to advise you of the strict guidelines.

The easiest way to remember the difference when writing is to read your sentence aloud. The two words have subtle differences in pronunciation and this should alert you if you have used the wrong spelling!

Advice: /əd'vʌɪs/

Advise: /əd'vʌɪz/

Practice/Practise

Another pair of homophones that is similar to this one is practice and practise. Again, the difference is that practice is a noun and practise is a verb. Unfortunately these cannot be distinguished by pronunciation as both are pronounced the same (/'praktɪs/).

Examples:

I need to practise in order to improve.

It is easy to say, but harder to do in practice.

NB In US English ‘practice’ is the spelling used for both the noun and the verb!

In general, remember that the ‘c’ in practice/advice indicates that it is a noun, and the ‘s’ in advise/practise indicates that it is a verb.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Homophones II

As promised we will now consider the difference between complement and compliment, two words which are often confused.

Complement

Verb: ‘to add to something in a way that enhances or improves’ (OED).

Noun: ‘an addition that improves something’ (OED).

Example: That tie complements your suit very nicely.

Compliment

Verb: ‘to admire or praise someone for something’ (OED).

Noun: ‘an admiring remark’ (OED).

Example: She complimented her friend on her excellent cooking.

The same goes for the adjectives complementary (e.g. choose a complementary colour) and complimentary (e.g. he made a complimentary remark about my dress); but remember that complimentary also means ‘given freely, as a courtesy’ (e.g. she received a complimentary glass of wine with her meal).

Watch out for the next entry on advice and advise!