my-worst-habit

From 5a0d5c2bb7d700343adbef66185675215cc983e5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: mjfernez Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2023 23:31:16 -0400 Subject: HTML generation --- thoughts/syntax/my-worst-habit.html | 173 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-- 1 file changed, 167 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-) (limited to 'thoughts/syntax/my-worst-habit.html') diff --git a/thoughts/syntax/my-worst-habit.html b/thoughts/syntax/my-worst-habit.html index 05a7cb4..65f19d8 100644 --- a/thoughts/syntax/my-worst-habit.html +++ b/thoughts/syntax/my-worst-habit.html @@ -6,18 +6,169 @@ my-worst-habit

Overuse of parentheses, by far.

Why is this a bad thing? Parentheses, as read by most readers, tend to contain additional superfluous information when read. So naturally, the mind tends to pay less attention to what's inside (or at least my mind does). I also believe it represents some repressed psychological trauma, since a Professor once circled how many times I abused the double dash, "--", and I haven't quite felt comfortable using it since--unless it feels right. As a result, I've found a new punctuation mark to abuse.

The parentheses and double dash work all right in that last paragraph, but relying on it leads to bad habits, and usually, sentences that droll on for far longer than welcome. Consider the following example from Naked Lunch:

Why is this a bad thing? Parentheses, as read by most readers, tend +to contain additional superfluous information when read. So +naturally, the mind tends to pay less attention to what's inside (or at +least my mind does). I also believe it represents some repressed +psychological trauma, since a Professor once circled how many times I +abused the double dash, "--", and I haven't quite felt comfortable using +it since--unless it feels right. As a result, I've found a new +punctuation mark to abuse.

The parentheses and double dash work all right in that last +paragraph, but relying on it leads to bad habits, and usually, sentences +that droll on for far longer than welcome. Consider the following +example from Naked Lunch:

Doc Browbeck was party inna second part. A retired abortionist and junk
 pusher (he was a veterinarian actually) recalled to service during the
 manpower shortage. Well, Doc had been in the hospital kitchen all
@@ -42,12 +193,22 @@ family in use among the Indians of South America. They are usually
 administered by sniffing a dried powder of the plant. The medicine
 men take these noxious substances and go into convulsive states. Their
 twitchings and mutterings are thought to have prophetic significance.")

This is the only example I know that dares to put parentheses and a long quote within parentheses, unless we're counting math textbooks. In a way it works, since if information is ever superfluous, the history of sailors getting high on nutmeg fits that bill. A careful reader might easily pick up on that, but to everyone else, I think a full paragraph of text in parentheses signals the reader to scroll down in the hopes that the story continues.

But just in case you think I'm just picking on William S. Burroughs, here's an example I regrettably wrote to a coworker recently with some details removed:

This is the only example I know that dares to put parentheses +and a long quote within parentheses, unless we're counting math +textbooks. In a way it works, since if information is ever +superfluous, the history of sailors getting high on nutmeg fits +that bill. A careful reader might easily pick up on that, but to +everyone else, I think a full paragraph of text in parentheses signals +the reader to scroll down in the hopes that the story continues.

But just in case you think I'm just picking on William S. Burroughs, +here's an example I regrettably wrote to a coworker recently with some +details removed:

[...] As a precaution, I did review $NOBODY's recent
 $THING_I_WAS_ASKED_TO_REVIEW (if you would like a detailed report on
 that, I can pull that together for you).

Somehow, I managed to take the one point worth emphasizing (an entire sentence at that!) and de-emphasized it.

It's a habit I can't break. So please, if you are a caring reader, do complain when I overuse parentheses. I deserve it.

Somehow, I managed to take the one point worth emphasizing +(an entire sentence at that!) and de-emphasized it.

It's a habit I can't break. So please, if you are a caring reader, do +complain when I overuse parentheses. I deserve it.

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