kinda weird English writing question, when would you use "&" vs. "and"?
Is it just a purely aesthetic thing or maybe a functional thing to shorten the length of a sentence/phrase?
why do I get the feeling there is some arcane English grammar rule about only using ampersands as substitution for "and" in specific circumstances lol
speaking of other weird English things, I don't actually know when it is appropriate to use semi-colons
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/a-guide-to-using-semicolons
fascinating
"Harry's three favorite bakeries are in Pittsburgh, PA; Phoenix, AZ; and Walla Walla, WA."
legit never seen this particular use of semi-colons before this example in that Merriam-Webster article
@packetcat i’m not sure i’ve ever actually seen it in the wild fur disambiguation in lists, except in textbooks teaching you about that usage
btw, i’ve gotten marked down befur fur using semicolons this way in assignments lol
I use it that way too. I think of it as operator precedence - the commas in the subordinate clauses bind more tightly than the semicolons.
@Lady@cat.family @aescling@glitch.cat.family @packetcat@tenforward.social
@Lady @aescling @packetcat one may argue that many list constructions which requires semicolons are overcomplicated and should be rephrased to a simpler structure but thats a different issue than whether the semi-colons themselves are gramatical
@aescling @packetcat i have (and have used them in this way), but typically only when the commas are introducing lengthy depended clauses
“I liked the bakery in Philadelphia, which had delicious pastries; the one in Phoenix, which had my favourite loaf of bread; and the one in Walla Walla, whose even day-old muffins were to die for”