Punctuation mark
Sep 12th 2006 | 5:03 am
#1
Thread Starter
redlion
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,743
From: Livin it large in the lovely Perth!!!
Punctuation mark
Anyone got any idea what this following punctuation mark is called? Im sure its not just a colon.
:-
Ta very much.
Nev.
:-
Ta very much.
Nev.
Sep 12th 2006 | 5:17 am
#2
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 17,426
From: Mount Tamborine
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by redlion
Anyone got any idea what this following punctuation mark is called? Im sure its not just a colon.
:-
Ta very much.
Nev.
:-
Ta very much.
Nev.
Last edited by Clippy; Sep 12th 2006 at 5:20 am.
Sep 12th 2006 | 8:10 am
#3
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,948
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by redlion
Anyone got any idea what this following punctuation mark is called? Im sure its not just a colon.
:-
Ta very much.
Nev.
:-
Ta very much.
Nev.
Sep 12th 2006 | 8:12 am
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 4,260
From: Berkshire, UK
Re: Punctuation mark
is it supposed to represent some face or something 
not sure what though
not sure what though
Sep 12th 2006 | 8:20 am
#5
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 17,426
From: Mount Tamborine
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
Clippies is correct.
See my midlands education wasn't so bad
Sep 12th 2006 | 8:28 am
#6
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,948
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by Clippies
Ah that's good then
See my midlands education wasn't so bad
See my midlands education wasn't so bad
Sep 12th 2006 | 10:15 am
#7
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 773
From: From Bradford to Brisbane
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by Clippies
Well I'm not 100% on this but I think that is two punctuation marks: it would be a colon and a hyphen - I don't think together they are actually gramatically correct, although frequently used, if that makes sense.
j
Sep 12th 2006 | 4:04 pm
#8
Extended Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 486
From: Sydney
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by Clippies
Well I'm not 100% on this but I think that is two punctuation marks: it would be a colon and a hyphen - I don't think together they are actually gramatically correct, although frequently used, if that makes sense.
Experiment (this may not work on all keyboards):
Press the "minus" key. That's a hyphen. Twentieth-century.
Hold ALT and press 0150 on the number keypad. That's an en-dash. Pages 1–10.
Hold ALT and press 0151 on the number keypad. That's an em-dash—for what it's worth. This used to be represented by two hypens. Try it in Microsoft word (no spaces between words). Depending on your settings you may see it gets changed.
They're all different lengths and never have spaces before or after them.
An en-dash is the width of the letter "N" and is traditionally the width of a typesetter's letter "N". An em-dash the width of the letter "M".
The :- does not mean anything as far as punctuation is concerned—you use one or the other. It's more of an emoticon.
Sorry
Last edited by Big Galah; Sep 12th 2006 at 4:06 pm.
Sep 12th 2006 | 4:09 pm
#9
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,948
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by Big Galah
And a hyphen shouldn't be used when you mean to use em-dashes or en-dashes—if you know what I mean.
Experiment (this may not work on all keyboards):
Press the "minus" key. That's a hyphen. Twentieth-century.
Hold ALT and press 0150 on the number keypad. That's an en-dash. Pages 1–10.
Hold ALT and press 0151 on the number keypad. That's an em-dash—for what it's worth. This used to be represented by two hypens. Try it in Microsoft word (no spaces between words). Depending on your settings you may see it gets changed.
They're all different lengths and never have spaces before or after them.
An en-dash is the width of the letter "N" and is traditionally the width of a typesetter's letter "N". An em-dash the width of the letter "M".
The :- does not mean anything as far as punctuation is concerned—you use one or the other. It's more of an emoticon.
Sorry
Experiment (this may not work on all keyboards):
Press the "minus" key. That's a hyphen. Twentieth-century.
Hold ALT and press 0150 on the number keypad. That's an en-dash. Pages 1–10.
Hold ALT and press 0151 on the number keypad. That's an em-dash—for what it's worth. This used to be represented by two hypens. Try it in Microsoft word (no spaces between words). Depending on your settings you may see it gets changed.
They're all different lengths and never have spaces before or after them.
An en-dash is the width of the letter "N" and is traditionally the width of a typesetter's letter "N". An em-dash the width of the letter "M".
The :- does not mean anything as far as punctuation is concerned—you use one or the other. It's more of an emoticon.
Sorry
Sep 12th 2006 | 4:56 pm
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 773
From: From Bradford to Brisbane
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by Big Galah
And a hyphen shouldn't be used when you mean to use em-dashes or en-dashes—if you know what I mean.
Experiment (this may not work on all keyboards):
Press the "minus" key. That's a hyphen. Twentieth-century.
Hold ALT and press 0150 on the number keypad. That's an en-dash. Pages 1–10.
Hold ALT and press 0151 on the number keypad. That's an em-dash—for what it's worth. This used to be represented by two hypens. Try it in Microsoft word (no spaces between words). Depending on your settings you may see it gets changed.
They're all different lengths and never have spaces before or after them.
An en-dash is the width of the letter "N" and is traditionally the width of a typesetter's letter "N". An em-dash the width of the letter "M".
The :- does not mean anything as far as punctuation is concerned—you use one or the other. It's more of an emoticon.
Sorry
Experiment (this may not work on all keyboards):
Press the "minus" key. That's a hyphen. Twentieth-century.
Hold ALT and press 0150 on the number keypad. That's an en-dash. Pages 1–10.
Hold ALT and press 0151 on the number keypad. That's an em-dash—for what it's worth. This used to be represented by two hypens. Try it in Microsoft word (no spaces between words). Depending on your settings you may see it gets changed.
They're all different lengths and never have spaces before or after them.
An en-dash is the width of the letter "N" and is traditionally the width of a typesetter's letter "N". An em-dash the width of the letter "M".
The :- does not mean anything as far as punctuation is concerned—you use one or the other. It's more of an emoticon.
Sorry
Sep 12th 2006 | 5:09 pm
#11
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 15,455
Re: Punctuation mark
I was taught it is correct to use :- before a list.
Sep 12th 2006 | 5:24 pm
#12
Homebody
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 23,190
From: HOME
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by Sallyanne
I was taught it is correct to use :- before a list.
God bless them teachers!
Sep 12th 2006 | 5:28 pm
#13
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by Sallyanne
I was taught it is correct to use :- before a list.
Sep 12th 2006 | 5:28 pm
#14
A former regular of BE
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 6,241
From: Carramar, Perth
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by Sallyanne
I was taught it is correct to use :- before a list.
Sports I like:
Football;
Cricket;
AFL; and
Rugby League.
Sep 12th 2006 | 5:30 pm
#15
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Punctuation mark
Originally Posted by worzel
I read in the back of a dictionary that you should use a colon before a list then semicolon to separate the listed items with "and" before the last one. Eg
Sports I like:
Football;
Cricket;
AFL; and
Rugby League.
Sports I like:
Football;
Cricket;
AFL; and
Rugby League.
