Dash, comma or colon?

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moved
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Dash, comma or colon?

Post by moved »

This sentence is taken from a punctuation exercise in the 11+ for Essex.


Pelagia was amused by the situation not so the cat

Can anyone shed any light on the correct punctuation mark between situation and not?

The answer sheet has a dash.

Could either a comma or a colon have been used?
yoyo123
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Re: Dash, comma or colon?

Post by yoyo123 »

brackets?
muffinmonster
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Re: Dash, comma or colon?

Post by muffinmonster »

A definite no to the comma, a more cautious no to the colon. Personally I would go for a semi-colon; the dash looks like a copout to me. :D
Last edited by muffinmonster on Sat Mar 19, 2011 3:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
yoyo123
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Re: Dash, comma or colon?

Post by yoyo123 »

I would go for the cop out I reckon, not perfect but not incorrect...
moved
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Re: Dash, comma or colon?

Post by moved »

Semicolon is incorrect here as "not so the cat" cannot stand alone.

Why is the comma wrong? I would really like to know. I was never taught this at school and have read both askoxford and Fowlers and cannot see why.
yoyo123
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Location: East Kent

Re: Dash, comma or colon?

Post by yoyo123 »

my first reaction was comma moved, as a sort of pause for breath. If it had been me in the test i think I would have used a comma actually
moved
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Re: Dash, comma or colon?

Post by moved »

My reaction was a comma too. I spent 8 years involved with the publishing industry and OH copyedited for most of that time. He thought colon; I thought comma. Our modern DC both thought dash!
yoyo123
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Re: Dash, comma or colon?

Post by yoyo123 »

I probably wouldn't get level 4 in my sats, I tend to go for short sentences rather than complex ones.

Having spent years being told off for starting sentences with however I find it hard to encourage children to do so.
pheasantchick
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Re: Dash, comma or colon?

Post by pheasantchick »

What's wrong with starting a sentence with 'however'?
Belinda
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Re: Dash, comma or colon?

Post by Belinda »

.
Last edited by Belinda on Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
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