Full stops and brackets

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Stainless
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Full stops and brackets

Post by Stainless »

Sorry, but these are the types of details I notice. Perhaps I'm a bit autistic.

I note that there is an inconsistent placement of full stops at the end of sentences when that also coincides with and end bracket. I doubt there is a true 'proper' way to do it, but two formats are used throughout the text and I feel you might as well be consistent;

...blah, blah, blah.)
and
...blah, blah, blah).

Personally I always use the full stop after the bracket.

I hesitate to annotate each and every one as they can easily be spotted with a search. Just be careful not to do an automatic search and replace as there are a number of etc. at the end bracket. [Note; good to see you are putting the full stop after the etc to denote that it is an abbreviation and give e.g., its rightful comma. So many people don't bother so it warms my heart to see it done properly, even in a draft document].

Now I'll crawl back to my lectern and trim some more quills.
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jmucchiello
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Re: Full stops and brackets

Post by jmucchiello »

Personally, the period goes where the thought stops. There are cases of parenthetical dependent clauses (such as this one) where the period should go outside the closing parenthesis (or this dependent clause). And there are parenthetical sentences where the whole thought is inside the parentheses. (I wonder if I left my iron plugged in.) In those cases, putting the parenthesis outside the closing parenthesis would be odd.
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Stainless
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Re: Full stops and brackets

Post by Stainless »

Your last example should end in a question mark, which I agree needs to be put within the bracket. Hmmm, there may be more to this that I know, so I'm willing to be educated by the Internet. I should consult a good grammar book as well. It seems quite possible that what I've spotted as errors are in fact correct, in which case, even more respect for GG.
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Re: Full stops and brackets

Post by GnomeBoy »

jmucchiello wrote:(I wonder if I left my iron plugged in.)
Since we're nitpicking, I'll join in to point out that that is a statement; "My stapler is red." -- "Some pigs can't fly." -- "I wonder if I left my iron plugged in."

If it had a question mark, it'd be questioning the wondering itself. "Did I leave my iron plugged in?" requires the question mark.
...
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jmucchiello
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Re: Full stops and brackets

Post by jmucchiello »

GnomeBoy wrote:
jmucchiello wrote:(I wonder if I left my iron plugged in.)
Since we're nitpicking, I'll join in to point out that that is a statement; "My stapler is red." -- "Some pigs can't fly." -- "I wonder if I left my iron plugged in."

If it had a question mark, it'd be questioning the wondering itself. "Did I leave my iron plugged in?" requires the question mark.
I do believe this is the long lost subjunctive tense that English native find impossible to understand when learning other languages with a well defined subjunctive tense.
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Stainless
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Re: Full stops and brackets

Post by Stainless »

Yep, GnomeBoy you are correct. I see we have members here who were/are 0-level scribes. I stand corrected.

RE: the original point, I've now consulted my grammar textbook and confirm jmucchiello's comment;

When a passage within parentheses falls at the end of a sentence, of which the parenthesised section is only a part, the full stop must be placed outside of the closing parenthesis.
When a complete sentence is enclosed within parentheses, the full stop must be placed within the closing parenthesis.

Now that my mind has been cleared of its fog, I can see that the beta rules rigorously conform to these rules. Thus, my original post is null and void. Also, I'm really impressed by this subtle sign of GG's professionalism. Not the sort of thing I see in many other RPG publishers.
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jmucchiello
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Re: Full stops and brackets

Post by jmucchiello »

Now, if only quotation marks followed the same rules. (Proper grammar says they don't, which is stupid IMO. And it's why I usually try to follow what is logical as opposed to what is "proper".)
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Re: Full stops and brackets

Post by GnomeBoy »

jmucchiello wrote:Now, if only quotation marks followed the same rules. (Proper grammar says they don't, which is stupid IMO. And it's why I usually try to follow what is logical as opposed to what is "proper".)
I use quotes in the same way -- just so I can call myself a 'rebel' (and sleep at night).
Stainless wrote:Yep, GnomeBoy you are correct. I see we have members here who were/are 0-level scribes. I stand corrected.
Yay! I'm still in the funnel!
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Stainless
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Re: Full stops and brackets

Post by Stainless »

GnomeBoy wrote:Yay! I'm still in the funnel!
Suddenly, the Folio Society's jumbo sized copy of "Fowler's Modern English Usage", precariously placed on the top of the bookshelf, topples off and lands squarely on GB's sconce, killing him instantly.

The Master Scribe looks up from his scribblings and views the sprawled figure with a rheumy eye. "Fetch another Zero!", he shouts. Somewhere in the dark depths of the great Library, a line of shuffling feet are heard to stir.
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GnomeBoy
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Re: Full stops and brackets

Post by GnomeBoy »

Stainless wrote:...killing him instantly.
I knew that low Stamina was going to be trouble...
...
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Playing RPGs since '77 • Quasi-occasional member of the Legion of 8th-Level Fighters.

Link: Here Be 100+ DCC Monsters

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