Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!purdue!decwrl!labrea!Portia!mouser
From: mouser@Portia.Stanford.EDU (Michael Wang)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: A question for Mac Authors (*LONG*)
Message-ID: <3496@Portia.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 30 Aug 88 09:16:54 GMT
References: <1233@aucs.UUCP>
Reply-To: mouser@portia.stanford.edu (Michael Wang)
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 98

See article <1233@aucs.UUCP> titled 'A question for Mac Authors' for the
original text.  This posting is LONG and possibly BORING.



I warned you!

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Hyphen (minus) ('-' in this text)

The hyphen is used to form compound words like 'X-rated' or 'mother-in-law'.
Another use of the hyphen is to break words on syllables at the end of lines.

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En Dash (option-minus) ('--' in this text)

The en dash is used for number ranges like 'pages 101--102'.

The word 'to' must be used if the numbers are preceeded by the word 'from'.

Wrong:     from 1987--1988
Right:     from 1987 to 1988

The en dash cannot be substituted for 'and'.

Wrong:     Between 1987--1988 Apple reached record profit levels.
Right:     Between 1987 and 1988 Apple reached record profit levels.

Generally it is incorrect to put a space on either side of an en dash.

Wrong:     1987 -- 1988
Right:     1987--1988

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Em Dash (shift-option-minus) ('---' in this text)

The em dash is used for punctuation in sentances---it is often simply called
a dash.  An em dash may be open with a space on both sides, or closed with 
no spaces, but generally it is used with no spaces on either side.

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On the subject of where the period should go after quotation marks the
opinions are divided.  Style handbooks state that periods or commas always
go inside the quotation marks.  However, many writers, when they use
quotation marks to set-off a word or phrase put the period or comma after
the quotations marks.

Probably OK:     Click on the window named 'Untitled'.

Mabye somebody who majored in English can clear this up?

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On the subject of italicizing punctation, the rule I follow is below---I
have no idea if this is correct.

If a italicized phase contains punctuation as part of the phrase, then the
punctuation should be italicized.  If the punctuation is not part of the
phrase, but part of the main sentence, then it should not be italicized.

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While we are on the subject of typography, use the proper quotations marks
whenever possible.  If you are printing on a PostScript printer they look a
LOT better than ' and ".

Open double quote (option [)
Close double quote (shift-option [)

Open single quote (option ])
Close single quote (shift-option ])

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There are other uses of the hyphen, en dash, and em dash that are not listed
here, but can be found in any good style book.

References:

Barnet & Stubbs's Practical Guide to Writing
Macintosh Desktop Typography by John Baxter
The Little English Handbook by Edward Corbett
The TeXbook by Donald E. Knuth

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-Michael Wang

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