English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Ḧ̨̬̩̤͚͓̦̣́͒̑̂̀͜͟e̴̡̛͐̿͊̾̏ͦ̇̽̾̚͏̥͚̘̼͍͚̤̜͕̮͔̘̼̠̹͠ͅl̦͕̗̙͎͈̪͇̜̫̘̼͔̼ͥͨͩ̐̃̈́̽ͭ̓ͥ́͠p̴̵̸‌̛͕͍͓̙̝̭͎͑ͫ͗̑̂ͫ̍ͪ̍̂̎ͣͥ̇͐͡ ̛̱̤̟̠̪̲͖̺͙̼̲͓̬̻̉̉̽͛̈̒̊ͩ̀̽ͥͪ̈́̅̂̽̂́͘m̭̣̗̣̩̟͕͑̄͌͗ͥ͐ͪ̒͝͞ē̵̛͖̥̦͈̱̲̮͓̮͙̝͈̙͛̇̉̄ͦͤ̆̅͑̀͘‌͞!̷̢͎̘̪̪̖̯̲̘̼͕ͣ̔̓͗ͨ͆ͨͩͥͬ̀ͨ̔̑̚̚̕

timothymh

10:30 PM

@Mahnax OK, full details: I sold a neglected, literally dusty Sega Genesis 1 with one controller, Ms. Pac-Man, and a Game Genie.

@Mahnax Hey, no Zalgo :(

(Dinner.)

Mahnax

@timothymh Aww.

@timothymh Ah OK.

Jez

10:46 PM

Check out my handiwork: en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doublequote

Nathan C. Tresch

@Mahnax I'm a wordnerd and a wordsmith, this site is pretty much right up my alley.

Mahnax

@NathanCTresch Very well, carry on.

I speak English every day, this site is right up my alley.

Nathan C. Tresch

:)

I majored in creative writing, and, also I'm an author

Mahnax

11:01 PM

Oh, cool.

I'm in HS so I don't have a major, heh.

What sort of things have you written?

Nathan C. Tresch

Fiction

I don't share my pen name, though.

It's not Nathan C. Tresch. :)

Mahnax

Oh, OK.

I don't share my name.

Nathan C. Tresch

My real name is Nathan C. Tresch

Mahnax

Well, not my last name, at any rate.

My first name is Matthew.

Nathan C. Tresch

My pen name is a woman's name

;)

Mahnax

11:04 PM

Haha.

tsks

Nathan C. Tresch

I like myself enough to try to avoid stalkers and weirdos. :P

Mahnax

Hm, are you so sure that you'd get any? ꙭ

Nathan C. Tresch

No, I'm just paranoid.

Mahnax

Alright.

Nathan C. Tresch

If I get what I'm working on now published I expect I might be.

It's a fiction story

Mahnax

11:08 PM

Hm, okay.

Nathan C. Tresch

It's an epic journey and it talks about relativity, a multiverse, the akashic record, quantum holography, time travel

Mahnax

Oh, that sounds interesting. I would read that.

Nathan C. Tresch

Thanks!

Mahnax

If you need any test subjects before you publish it, well, you know, ahem.

Nathan C. Tresch

Its sort of ... PKD meets Azimov meets HP Lovecraft

k

Can you give me editorial feedback also?

Mahnax

11:10 PM

What do you mean?

Grammatical things?

Nathan C. Tresch

Yes

Mahnax

Oh, sure.

Nathan C. Tresch

But mostly I need help with sentances that sound off

Mahnax

@NathanCTresch sentences*

Nathan C. Tresch

Like, when I go back and edit, sometimes I use a voice that's too distinct from the tone of the words around it

Mahnax

11:11 PM

Yeah, I understand. I would be happy to help.

Nathan C. Tresch

ANd I don't notice, so, that's the main thing I want to hear about. Yes, I always spell that word wrong. :(

What year in high school are you?

Mahnax

I'm in the first year, which is grade ten here.

I'm in the IB program.

Nathan C. Tresch

IB?

Where are you from?

Mahnax

Canada.

Nathan C. Tresch

3

Q: how much more—question or statement?

Since this, how much more another[.|?] I would have used a question mark to end that sentence; however, I've seen two different, recent authors end it with a period. Is this type of sentence a question or a statement? I'm assuming that from the answer to this question, the punctuation flows...

Can you please look at that and give feedback? :P

ITs really irritating me.

ESL people are telling me I'm mistaken and downvoting me. :P

Mahnax

11:16 PM

Hmm.

I think one should always use the question mark.

Nathan C. Tresch

Of course, but, he didn't, and its clear that he was intending it to be a question.

And there are many authoritative sources that say he's correct

Mahnax

So it's a matter of style, it seems.

Nathan C. Tresch

Yeah.

But, as English is your first language, its clear to you that he's asking a question, yes?

Mahnax

Yeah.

Nathan C. Tresch

And the . must indicate that he's intending it to be rhetorical.

Thank you :)

Mahnax

11:19 PM

But for ultimate clarity one should use a question mark.

I don't really think the first part of your answer applies, though.

Then again, Shoe's answer does make sense too.

If it's not a question, no question mark is necessary.

Nathan C. Tresch

ERm

Mahnax

Yes?

Nathan C. Tresch

I dont see how its possible to parse that as anything but a question.

It was written in the late 20th century, not in 1890

And it doesnt use a !

If you can find a place that says an exclamation phrased as a question is both modern and you can use a . with, his answer is okay

But I cant

Mahnax

I hold no opinion yet, I'm just mulling these things over mentally and writing my thoughts here.

Nathan C. Tresch

Aye, and I'm being the voice of rigor. :P

Mahnax

11:25 PM

Okay, I have decided. Those sentences are questions and should be punctuated as such, rhetorical or not.

Nathan C. Tresch

No one is questioning that

Mahnax

Then what is the issue here?

Nathan C. Tresch

Although, I'd say that since I linked 4 university level style guides that say to use a . in place of a ?

That the author may have gone to a university like that, and uses a different style

My point still stands, he was intending them to be rhetorical questions

Mahnax

It's rather obvious to me that they are rhetorical questions.

Nathan C. Tresch

The poster was asking if they were questions or not, and the answer is yes, that they are rhetorical questions.

Aye.

SO, my answer is right :)

Mahnax

11:29 PM

Shoe is saying that the questions are exclamatory, but I can't see how you can exclaim a question like that.

Nathan C. Tresch

In 1890 you could.

Informally

Mahnax

Well, it's not 1890.

Nathan C. Tresch

But, the author was clearly using a formal tone, and, it's a modern writing

Yeah, neither of the conditions apply.

Can you upvote :D

Mahnax

I did.

Nathan C. Tresch

YAY!

Thanks.

Mahnax

11:31 PM

Mhm.

Nathan C. Tresch

Its really irritating here sometimes... I'm trying to help these people with their english and they're like, downvoting me and upvoting stuff with no links to any kind of authority

:P

You'll be okay.

:)

There, there.

Also, that dude JR literally ripped off my answer.

:P

Mahnax

11:32 PM

Not really.

He provided the same information from a different source, as opposed to stealing your links/info and making a similar answer.

So he posted an answer saying the same thing, but that's not a good reason to downvote him.

Ah, whatever.

Nathan C. Tresch

You think?

Mahnax

I do.

Nathan C. Tresch

I can take it back

Okay

Mahnax

The hover text over the downvote button says "This answer is not useful." By downvoting him, you are theoretically downvoting yourself (if he is saying the same things as you are).

Anyways, you have my upvote.

Nathan C. Tresch

Well, yeah, I'm pretty sure that in SE duplicate answers are frowned upon, support for a dupe should be put in the comments for that answer

Mahnax

11:38 PM

I sort of approved your edit.

The emphasis on or needs to stay to make sure his original intent isn't edited away.

Dinner, bye.

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…