Punctuation Or Not

[Leanne]

I've never heard of any law against parentheses in poetry. I use them from time to time, if I'm inserting some kind of parenthetical element

Apparently there's also some law against using smilies as punctuation... well

[milo]

I've never heard of any law against parentheses in poetry. I use them from time to time, if I'm inserting some kind of parenthetical element

Apparently there's also some law against using smilies as punctuation... well

There is a rule but we're not supposed to just say it. (You know how it is with these things)

[ellajam]

I've never heard of any law against parentheses in poetry. I use them from time to time, if I'm inserting some kind of parenthetical element

Apparently there's also some law against using smilies as punctuation... well

There is a rule but we're not supposed to just say it. (You know how it is with these things)

I once wrote a suessish poem using a site's smiles (pretty silly).

[bena]

This is one of my favorite ee cummings works: Old age sticks


old age sticks
up Keep
Off
signs)&

youth yanks them
down(old
age
cries No

Tres)&(pas)
youth laughs
(sing
old age

scolds Forbid
den Stop
Must
n't Don't

&)youth goes
right on
gr
owing old





There are so many deep meanings to the punctuation and line breaks he's chosen. I say embrace strange punctuation in poetry-----as long as it makes sense to use it.

---

"Well, there's your problem right there. English, while an excellent
language in many other respects, is a rather poor native one.
My advise would be to change your native language to one
that's more appropriate for natives. Continuing down your current
path will only garner you more bemuddlement and forplexity."

That's some funny stuff right there.Thank you

On the topic of puncutation. I take the idea that their sacred
Imean its pretty obvious we make those rules for a reason
and you're attempts to cheepen them made me sicker;

Spell check people! It's so easy!

[abu nuwas]

The accursed Power which stands on Privilege
(and goes with women and Champagne and Bridge)
Is broke; -- and Democracy resumes her reign
(which goes with Bridge, and women, and Champagne.)

Hilaire Belloc 'On A General Election'. Just a minor poet, so perhaps he can be forgiven parentheses.

As much as I personally love punctuation, I am beginning to wonder whether the ellipses of Ms Dickinson are not really sufficient for all purposes, apostrophes excepted.

[billy]

i had to look up apostrophes, i thought they had something to do with medicine

[ellajam]

I recently read that when using quotation marks punctuation needs to be within the marks.

Are you suggesting I replace the word "whilst?"

I would naturally put the question mark outside the quote. Which is correct?

[bena]

Question mark would be inside the quote marks "whilst?" is correct.

So sayeth the grammar police.

[ellajam]

ha, whilst is correct, at last.

Thanks, bean.

[bena]

From Dictionary.com


whilst
[hwahylst, wahylst]
conjunction
Chiefly British , while.
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English whilest, equivalent to whiles + parasitic -t as in amongst, amidst


whilst it isn't used as much by anyone but Brits, it is completely fine!

[rayheinrich]

I abhor the notion of putting punctuation inside the quotes
because It doesn't parse in a logical manner. I'm a being
of the software universe, I cannot do otherwise.

I use '?' after the quotes because the sentence 'Are...'
is asking the question.

Are you suggesting I replace the word "whilst" ?

In the sentence below I put the '?' inside the quotes because it
is the 'Where...' that is posing the question.

Jack asked "Where are you going today?" , but didn't bother
to listen to the answer.

Note that the ',' above is outside because it belongs to the 'Jack...'
sentence. (There is no ',' after asked because there is no pause.)

English is changed by utilizing the change.

[bena]

Makes no sense to me,dear. "Where are you going today?" is also asking a question, same as "are you suggesting I replace the word 'whilst'?"

Now that punctuation above is due to sentence construction, as I was quoting within a quote.

My mother was an English Professor.
There is much that she beat over my head as I was young.

[ellajam]

I abhor the notion of putting punctuation inside the quotes
because It doesn't parse in a logical manner. I'm a being
of the software universe, I cannot do otherwise.

I use '?' after the quotes because the sentence 'Are...'
is asking the question.

Are you suggesting I replace the word "whilst" ?

In the sentence below I put the '?' inside the quotes because it
is the 'Where...' that is posing the question.

Jack asked "Where are you going today?" , but didn't bother
to listen to the answer.

Note that the ',' above is outside because it belongs to the 'Jack...'
sentence. (There is no ',' after asked because there is no pause.)

English is changed by utilizing the change.

Thanks, Ray, that's where I would like to stand. I've recently been throwing them all inside the quotes but I'm more comfortable with end punctuation outside the quote if it is not a part of what is being quoted.