I have some random punctuation questions I gotta ask you guys. When I mention a grade, A plus, A minus, etc. do I have a dash in there? "A-minus" Same with tabs, etc. Do I say "Insert tab A into slot B" or "tab-A into slot-B" or "tab 'A' into slot 'B'"? Should I capitalize "Rottweiler"? Should I abbreviate "esquire"? Is "nano" a closed or open compound, or does it depend on the word? I know "nanotechnology" and "nanometer" exist, but can I use "nano_insert_word_here_"? Should I insert the dash in asterisks in this adjective? "run-of-the-Rhode*-*Island-mill" I know that's probably a dumb expression, but I'm just using it as an example to learn the punctuation in a case like this. Here's the big one. Are these foreign words Anglicized enough to not be italicized or should I italicize them? hola, papier-mâché, bar mitzvah, mazel tov, numero uno, no problemo, bon appétit, senor, frau, mélange, coup d’etat, kung pao, chapeau, mucho, gezheundheit, crème brûlée, el cheapo, a la mode Thanks in advansk!!
When I mention a grade, A plus, A minus, etc. do I have a dash in there? "A-minus" At my university we write the grades AA or A+. If you are giving British university degree levels you write them e.g. 2:1. I would say it depends on the institution but hyphens are rare, and in novels we tend to write + as "plus", as youve written it. Same with tabs, etc. Do I say "Insert tab A into slot B" or "tab-A into slot-B" or "tab 'A' into slot 'B'"? No, I haven't often seen hyphens used like that. Should I capitalize "Rottweiler"? As a general rule we usually only capitalise breeds if they are derived from a place name, "Yorkshire terrier". Other names, e.g "rotteiler" terrier" are not capitalised. My grandmother was a member of the Kennel Club and wrote dog breeding articles. She bred Lhasa apsos. Should I abbreviate "esquire"? The word is only used on letter directions, when it is abbreviated e.g. "Jack Smith esq". If you have a character reading it out loud, though, write "It's addressed to Jack Jones, esquire". Is "nano" a closed or open compound, or does it depend on the word? I know "nanotechnology" and "nanometer" exist, but can I use "nano_insert_word_here_"? Not sure how many words would be suitable with "nano-". The only established words I know that you see in creative writing, like "nanosecond" have no hyphen. Should I insert the dash in asterisks in this adjective? "run-of-the-Rhode*-*Island-mill" I know that's probably a dumb expression, but I'm just using it as an example to learn the punctuation in a case like this. Sorry, no idea what you mean here. Asterisks are only used to denote footnotes, or maybe charts or something. If you mean the long list of words joined with a hyphen, you only do this for established compound nouns or adjectives, or for coining new words, which you should do sparingly. Long trains of hyphenated words look terrible on a manuscript. Here's the big one. Are these foreign words Anglicized enough to not be italicized or should I italicize them? hola, papier-mâché, bar mitzvah, mazel tov, numero uno, no problemo, bon appétit, senor, frau, mélange, coup d’etat, kung pao, chapeau, mucho, gezheundheit, crème brûlée, el cheapo, a la mode Some of those words, like "bon appétit" (like bon voyage and chic) are completely in the English language so you don't need to italicise them. Others, like "no problemo" are not actually proper foreign words, they are made up mixtures and I wouldn't italicise them, either. "kung pao"--what's that? If it's the proper name of a martial art, I wouldn't italicise that. "Hola", on the other hand, is someone speaking in Spanish, and I might italicise it, although it's not necessary if it is just one word e.g. "Hola," said Jaime in greeting, not mixed into an English sentence where it could cause confusion, e.g. "Here I am! Oh, hola Miguel."
...why not just 'A-/A+'?... ...no hyphens... ...yes, because the name refers to the town of 'Rottweil'... ...depends on how it's used... if a title, as in 'John Doe, Esq.' then it's abbreviated... if used as a word, it should not be... ...it's merely a prefix meaning 'one billionth'... so it's often used [sometime as a hyphenate] with a word you want to be seen as something very small... like 'nanorobotics' and such... ...first of all, those aren't dashes... they're hyphens... 'run-of-the-mill' is a hyphenated expression, so if you want to add something specific to it, it would have to be part of the hyphenated expression... but i don't see that as making much, if any sense... ...some are and some not... and it can depend on how you use them, as well... i suggest you google each one to see which way they're most often shown... ...hope this helps..
