On Sat, 17 Mar 2012 21:54:40 +0100, Kiuhnm wrote: > On 3/16/2012 21:04, Prasad, Ramit wrote: >>> People spell your name Stephen, sometimes too. Thinking of changing >>> it? Gore Vidal's quote has panache, a valid compensation for breaking >> the usual rule. How many other uses on that page are similar? >> >> >> He provided common examples and reference links. Seems like a pretty >> reasonable way of trying to prove a point. If you don't like reference >> links, what would convince you that the point was correct? I have not >> seen any counter examples or counter references on your behalf... > > He's referring to this "rule": > "A colon should not precede a list unless it follows a complete > sentence; however, the colon is a style choice that some publications > allow." > http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/colons.asp
That is an invented prescriptivist rule and not based on English grammar as it actually is used by native English speakers. It is *bullshit*. Even the author of that page breaks it. Immediately following the above prohibition, she follows it with the sentence fragment: "Examples:" and then a list -- exactly what she says you may not do. People *do* precede lists by a colon following a sentence fragment. This is unremarkable English grammar, with only a tiny number of arse-plugged prescriptivists finding anything to complain about it, and even they break their own bullshit made-up so-called rule. The vast majority of English speakers write things like: TO DO: - mow the lawn - wash the car - take kids to the zoo - write book on grammar and there is nothing wrong with doing so. -- Steven -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list