Re: Hmmm - Hmmm

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Posted by Tim Johns on 12/06/99 from wes22.bham.ac.uk:

In Reply to: Hmmm. posted by Bob Hollis on December 05, 1999 at 05:21:15:

Although a proportion of AR's semicolons would have satisfied Bob's grammar teacher (see 1 below), the majority would probably have failed to pass muster, as he tended to use them before co-ordinate clauses introduced by and (2) or but (3) (all quotations from Swallows and Amazons):


  1. "Drool," said the female native; "that means good night and sleep tight." (Chapter 5)
  2. "Now," said John; and the three of them, leaving Roger, slipped down from the look-out place into the camp. (Chapter 8)
  3. "There's room for you all, "said Captain Flint; "but someone ought to steer Swallow or she'll be all over the place." (Chapter 29)

In general, AR started off as an erratic punctuator (eg in The ABC of Physical Culture): by the time he wrote the S&A series he was both careful and consistent. I am myself a "grammar teacher" of sorts, but given the choice, I think I'd prefer AR's practice to the prescriptions of any of my ilk.



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