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Subject:re Follow the following From:nosnivel <nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Wed, 28 Jun 2006 06:08:07 -0700 (PDT)
Geoff suggests:
> To solve the problem:
> 1. Do something.
> 2. Do something else.
> 3. Do yet another something.
I see that a lot, but I've never been
comfortable with the idea of the colon
as a fork in the road. Traditionally
the colon is where the road (that is,
the clause) comes to an end at a
vantage point overlooking the farther
territory.
But if you do want to "cut it out,"
as Geoff says, where "it" is half
the clause, you can use a dash instead
of a colon:
To solve the problem--
1. Do something.
2. ...
Otherwise, to me and my fellow purist oldsters
happy, use a full clause before the colon,
such as--
Here is how to solve the problem:
1. Do something.
2. ...
Sometimes, though, you can "cut it out"
not just partially but wholly. The context
may make a formal announcement of the list
unnecessary.
Looks like you have a problem.
1. Do something.
2. ...
Mark L. Levinson
Herzliya, Israel
nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il
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