#hyphenated compounding

[howdoesone]

How does one describe the process of compounding in morphology?

Compounding is a morphological process by which two or more individual words are combined to create a new word with its own distinct meaning. This process is used in many languages around the world, and it is an important aspect of word formation in morphology. In this article, we will describe the process of compounding in morphology, including its types, formation, and examples. Continue…

[thwip--thwip]

[schrodingers-dove]

i love the economy of words with drabbles. just one hundred words to tell your story -- to distill language into texture.

it's almost agonizing because every word is a string to be plucked, to sound a note and attempt to create a melody that will harmonize with the other ninety-nine words. compounding and hyphenating words to convey more than the sum of their parts. it's about mood, not the definition.

and when you reach those hundred words and still have more to say, you destroy in order to create. removing words and carving out sentences to serve the whole.

just. man, i love writing drabbles.

[myassbrokethefall]

It's my 10 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

[cangrellesteponme]

girl help i have literally been studying english for years and i've just learned the actual rules of compound adjective hyphenation how the fuck did i survive this long

[sxnniiwrites]

Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes

Did you know that there's a difference between -, –, and —? There is! Your local grammar geek is here to help.

Hyphens: Hyphens are the shortest dash (-). These are used for compound words and phrases with hyphens in the middle. This post (https://www.grammarly.com/blog/open-and-closed-compound-words/) has a lot of great information about different types of compound words.

Note that hyphens are not used to cut a phrase short. Father-in-law, pet-friendly, self-motivated. The hyphen is used to connect the words of a compound phrase.

En Dashes: En dashes (–) are the second longest dash. They are used to indicate a range. For example, you may write a time period as 1993–1995. If you're estimating a number of objects, you may write that there are 3–5 objects.

For clarity, here's a hyphen and an en dash side by side again: -, –.

Em Dashes: Em dashes (—) are the longest dash and used similarly to commas or parentheses. They can be used to cut off a sentence or add facts and information. For example:

"'You lied! You told me that—' 'I didn't know she would be there!'"

"The dachshund—known for its long body and short legs—is a clever and playful breed."

To recap: Hyphens (-) are used for a certain type of compound words. En dashes (–) are used to indicate ranges. Em dashes (—) are used to interject. Note that none of these three dashes have spaces before or after. I hope this helps!

[pokemon-with-hats]

I do apologize for sort of half disappearing the last few months. I was super invested in getting the "favorite pokemon" poll series done, and once that finished i more or less lost motivation to do anything pokemon related - it didn't help that my semester was surprisingly busy, plus I decided I wanted to apply for phd programs, which further compounded the stress I was feeling. I ended up sort of dropping side projects like this one, and needed time to decompress before thinking of getting back into them. And now that I've spent the last week doing not much more than getting high, playing video games, listening to records, and hanging out with my cat, I think I can say I've successfully decompressed.

I am currently planning on returning to daily edits starting in January. I said in my announcement a few days ago that I was going to open my inbox for suggestions, but I think I'm going to take the first week of January to purely make edits for my sake - no prompts, no suggestions, just whatever comes to me in the moment. After that, I'll open up the inbox and it'll hopefully be back to normal operations here at pokemon hyphen with hyphen hats dot tumblr dot com.

I also reserve the right to cut posting back to just doing 3 edits a week, depending on how busy this next semester goes. It's my last one before I graduate with my masters, so it may get kind of chaotic on me.

I hope everyone is having a good holiday season, and spending it with people they care about. I have 3 more old requests to get through, so expect those to get posted over the last few days of December.

[tonystark-official]

Why is your heartbeat weird?

@respect-the-hyphen

Kid, what? What do you mean? You're not supposed to be at the compound right now; where are you?

[weirdmarioenemies]

Is Birdo the only member of her species?

"Yes!” you confidently proclaim. “You included an image of multiple Birdos right there in the post, silly!”

I know I did! I did it on purpose, because it is relevant to the subject matter! But it does not mean all that much, ultimately. Look. Here are five Luigis.

Luigi is not a species. So allow me to explain why I am reasonably confident in believing that the existence of multiple distinct Birdos has been retconned!

It all started with Wave 4 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass. When Birdo was finally added to the game, her alts were named strangely! With Yoshi and Shy Guy, we had, for example, Light-blue Yoshi, and Light-blue Shy Guy. Birdo, however, gets Birdo (Light Blue)!

This is how basically all the alts in Tour are named, just like our dear brother Luigi (Lederhosen). So did they lazily just port these alts over from Tour, without bothering to make the formatting consistent with what was already in 8 Deluxe? But wait! Yoshi and Shy Guy are named with their colors first in Tour, just like in 8 Deluxe! Were THOSE ones hastily ported into TOUR? What’s going on here!!!

Well, let’s look at the trends that already exist in these naming conventions!

-A character simply wearing a different outfit than usual has the name format of “Character (Descriptor)”. Example: Luigi (Lederhosen)

-A character who is in a different FORM than usual has the name format of “Form Character”. Example: Penguin Luigi

-A character who is a member of a species that has been seen in multiple colors has the name format of “Color Character”, not counting the default colors. Example: Light-blue Yoshi, Light-blue Shy Guy

One other thing of note is characters like the Koopa Freerunners and the Pit Crew Toads. These fit into both the first and third categories! For example, we have Blue Koopa (Freerunning), who is a Blue Koopa wearing a Freerunning hat, and Light-blue Toad (Pit Crew), who is a Light-blue Toad wearing a pit crew uniform.

With all this established, Birdo’s conventions fit into the first category! I am inclined to believe that, if these were meant to be distinct individuals, they would be named like the Yoshis and Shy Guys, yet they are named as the same individual in different outfits. Maybe she can change her color like a chameleon, and uses it to complement whatever bow she wants to wear at the time!

The real question is why in the world they would retcon Birdo as her own species... but it is not actually that weird, to me. As awesome as it is to have an entire species of glamorous transfem dinosaurs who all share the exact same fashion sense, maybe Nintendo decided that was where they draw the Weirdness Line in Mario’s world. Birdo’s current design is very much a design for a distinct character! It’s like how Donkey Kong Junior was used in contexts where many of him appeared for a while, until he himself was removed from memory. And don’t get me started on Toadsworth! They can and will alter anything from character intricacies to the existences of entire characters, is what I am saying here.

Also, as a little Grammar Tidbit, it is entirely intentional that “Birdo (Light Blue)” and “Light-blue Yoshi” coexist, and it is not inconsistent! “Light-blue” is a compound adjective, and as a result is hyphenated if it is written before the article it describes. I have learned this purely thanks to the funny dinosaur, and now so have you!

So do you agree with my findings? How does the concept of Birdo being the only one of her kind make you feel? And how did it get this way? Maybe she just invited herself out of the dream world and established herself! Maybe she is a mutant Yoshi, not in the realistic genetics way, but the cartoon toxic waste way. Maybe she just hatched from an egg that was there one day. Whatever the case! I think she is really great.

[tgarrett26]

This is my response to a request I got a while ago, I honestly lost it when I was working on this a few months ago, but I think this is what was asked for. I hope it gets to who wanted it <3

Anything You Can Do, My Dads Can Do Better

With the paper in my hands, I can’t but notice how they start to shake when the low score on the biology midterm are read into my mind.

These are gonna be on my report card, and no one can let down my parents like I can.

They won’t be that disappointed in you, they never have been.

But they wanted me to do better in school than Papa did..even with his issues that held him back.

“Ms. RB?” I’m questioned

I flit my head up to look at the teacher who’s attentively called my name, well..the nickname some kids came up with do to my hyphenated last name.

“Yes?” I ask

“The bell rang.”

I nod abruptly and grab my things, too rushed to care about putting my paper in my binder or even my binder in my bag. I do throw my arm through the strap and the back over my shoulder onto my back (once I’m out the door).

When I’m in the clear, I bolt right down the hallway out of the school until I’m standing before Tony’s car where Happy is awaiting me with the door open.

“Excited to get home?” I’m asked

“Sure am.”

He checks back on me before getting in his seat and getting us going back to the compound. It feels like it came in no time, but soon enough I’m doing the walk of school shame to my parents.

Papa seems to have been in a meeting for a while, so I look around for Baba. However, I’m jumped into fear by whoever lifts me into the air from behind.

“There’s my girl!” is cheered by the now familiar one-armed man

“You’re lucky I was able to think straight and feel the metal of your left. Otherwise it would have been a kick to something you don’t have encased in metal.” I explain as he lets me down

He spins me around for a hug, something I am able to relax into (slightly) after the reveal of my academic let down.

“Why so tense, Doll?” I’m asked

“What do you mean?”

“You’re almost rigid.”

“Maybe I’m just cold.” I murmur

“You’re enhanced, you’d have to be sick to be cold and you don’t get sick. What’s going on?”

“How do you know these things?”

“Parenting is the only thing my past has come into handy for.” he explains while holding onto me loosely

I nod at this, but he sees my still nervous and harsh form, so he guides me over to a bench in the hallway.

“Hey!! Baby’s home!!” is cheered by Papa’s voice

He runs up on us, lifting me differently than Baba did but excited and joyful nonetheless.

“She’s not feeling well, Steve.” Baba speaks up for me to say

He puts me back on the floor in an instant, not even second guessing about what he should do.

“What’s going on, Honey?” Papa worries

“I was just going to find out.., I think.” Baba responds

Baba and I sit down on the bench, Papa kneeling next to us. I take my schoolbag off and search my binders, looking between them and other pockets since my mind blanked as to where I put my grade card at.

When I find it, I pull it out slowly and hold it in front of me, Papa taking it calmly, pulling it towards himself. When he turns it around, he flickers his gaze between me and his husband of so many years.

“What’s this?” he wonders

“My school grades..”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you were getting those today.” I hear from the elder

“You forget along of things, Bub.” Papa tells him

I facepalm and wait, wait for the judgement and the harassment of how I’ve failed them.

“Wow, Honey.” Papa expresses

Here it comes..

“These are better than most of what your Baba got-and he skipped dates with me to sleep with his books.” he adds

“You’re lying.” I mutter as I shake my head

“I don’t lie, Sweetheart. That’s a universally known truth about me, about our family. We don’t hold back honestly, even if we can.”

He seems to have handed the paper to Baba, letting the academically smarter one of those two read over my school’s judgements of my mental achievements.

“He’s right, Doll. These are better than mine.” my Baba speaks up to say

“You’re not exaggerating?”

“No, he was hiding nothing when he said I skipped quality time with him for temporary time with my studies.”

“Wow.” I let out after he rests his right arm on my shoulders

“These are amazing scores, I promise. With all this Common Core stuff we hear Peter ranting about, you’re doing well handling it along with our work life-not everyone could do that, not everyone can.”

“You’re not disappointed?”

“Doll, why would we be disappointed by B’s? Even in your hardest subjects, you got reasonable markings.” Baba expresses

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Just expected different reactions.” I explain

“Better or worse?”

“Worse. Much worse.”

“How come?” he worries and sets his hand on my knee

“Not used to having a supportive environment.”

“Well, you better get used to it, Baby because we aren’t going anywhere and neither is our care for you.”

This brings such warmth of appreciation to my cheeks, one I hope doesn’t go away.

“Not cold now are ya, Doll?” Baba checks

I swat his knee and lean into his arm, setting my right hand on my father’s while I take in the love my family genuinely has for me.

The Next Morning

Mr. Harrington’s Homeroom

“I can’t believe I got grounded for having b’s on my report card!” Flash expresses very unhappily

I guess he doesn’t have it all..

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s2 episode 9 thoughts

whew! i had a busy day so it's nice to unwind with some scully and mulder time. although by the end of the episode i didn't feel very unwound tbh. it was still time spent with the babygirls, so i can't complain.

so we start with some volcano research. my only note here was "i know a geologist" which is true! shoutout to my one professor. you were chill but i hated that class.

there's a dead guy in the volcano which tbh doesn't seem too surprising... i mean volcanoes are very deadly. but it seems to be one of the dudes involved with the project so that's weird because why would he go down there?

there's this stream going on of the inside volcano and something is disrupting it... hate to see a streamer interrupted :(

then we had the title sequence but for some reason i was wondering, do you think if they got married they'd hyphenate their names... scully-mulder... mulder-scully... does it roll off the tongue? hmm...

so firewalker (the title of our episode) is a robot that goes into the volcano. noted.

here i wrote "holy fuck scully is beautiful". all she was doing was standing there but man.

the scientist who has come to them requesting help is like, this lead scientist named trepkos started this project, and scully says "i always heard he was brilliant", which raises the question: why is scully keeping up with volcano science? nerd

at this point the visiting scientist was explaining how he and trepkos had a professional breakup kinda thing and i'm very sorry for them but i genuinely could not take my eyes off of scully. hope they work it out or whatever. i have bigger priorities.

she wants to get out there and investigate but mulder says "i don't think it's a good idea for you to go" AUGHHH. i am wailing and tearing my shirt. she says that she's fine!!! really!!!

and he has this look on his face that says "i cannot tell this woman what to do, even after she just woke up from a coma, and i never will be able to" and he's very right in that regard

HELICOPTER TIME! mulder is such a gentleman helping her climb out

she has very messy hair at this point and the scientist seems a lot more concerned about his equipment than the fate of the people trapped inside the compound and she seems so thrown off by this

next we have some BIG ASS FLASHLIGHTS!!!! WOOHOO

at this point i made a note that i think i might have been going feral because mulder also looked SO good prowling around that creepy base. and i don't take back my observation but i will psychoanalyze it a bit later. reluctantly.

a creepy dude is hanging around the corner. OH SHOOT he tries to bash mulder's head in and he is MAD "do you always greet people this way?" LMAOOO he took it personally

the other scientists in the base seem to regard the missing trepkos as a threat... hmm...

i really like this jesse character, who is a student and is here to do some research with her advisor

mulder asks for the data on the research trepkos has been doing and she says he destroyed his field journals and computer discs. ahh, computer discs. my old friends. i used to have some games on discs when i was a kid. positive memories.

mulder sees scribbled in some of the notes trepkos didn't destroy that he had written about a "new life form" which honestly kinda happens a lot. like people are always discovering new life forms but the gag is they're beetles. everyday we find new species of beetle. they just won't stop coming. so i'm thinking, well they wanted this to be all dramatic, but statistically it's probably just a volcano beetle this guy found.

mulder and scully have an exchange and again i'm distracted by her freckles but she says he's being paranoid and i'm like. yeah that's kinda his whole deal. mulder being paranoid is like a fork spotted in the kitchen.

so the other scientist who was checking on his equipment was, at this point, killed by trepkos. with a rope. and we get the great closed captions "(neck cracks) (body thuds on ground)" which were very descriptive of the whole process

mulder and scully are having a science based argument on the probability of a silicon-based life form and it was really funny to me because it was a nerd off. and frankly i wouldn't go into a science debate with a doctor but mulder is going full steam ahead. it's getting heated and i'm like damn does this ever lead to them kissing because i can see it happening. anyway she's like no trepkos did not discover a silicon-based life form (spoiler alert: he did)

he's looking around like damn. i'm glad she's back but she's such a pain in my ass <3

scully goes to talk to jesse by knocking on her door and asking to chat and then not waiting for an answer and coming in because that is my girl!!!

jesse says trepkos stopped taking his pills that treat his bipolar disorder and he started being weird, saying they polluted his mind and that she was "polluting his body" which has... implications i prefer not to think about?

(why must we make erotic the bond between a student and their thesis advisor? there is no stronger connection! but. not in this way, tv writers, not in this way. i mean Maybe it wasn't meant that way but it seemed like it was)

mulder is streaming the descent into madness of trepkos because he recorded his ramblings which is probably what my friends on my private story think each time i post. but he's going on about finding a silicon-based life form.

this whole time one of the scientists has been very noticeably coughing and losing his voice and i knew it was gonna go somewhere but all of a sudden he collapses. and mulder yells for scully who is undergoing her shift to Doctor Mode. but we see his neck... pulsate? is that the best word to describe it? augh i don't want to even think about it so we'll leave it there

(jesse was also looking super suspicious but i liked her...)

anyway they put the sick guy on a stretcher and he's down and out until he isn't, and now he's making a RUN for it. he runs and runs and falls in a ditch until a THING takes over his body and explodes. i thought it was a worm at first and it was sososo gross i started sweating. i do not like body horror. the things i endure for these two.

so scully's doing some testing and she's like, yeah this is a silicon-based fungus. and poor jesse is having a nervous breakdown because she has been in this base for 8 months and she just wants to go HOME but now they have to quarantine and i felt so bad for her.

then i remembered the line about her "polluting his body" and things were adding up... and they were NOT looking good for her... no... i cannot do this...

scully's really worried about jesse which is justified because this poor girl is freaking out. but mulder is really worried about scully! he wants to go look for trepkos and he's making excuses why she shouldn't come and finally settles on the need to autopsy the body which he seems to both genuinely believe and also say to keep her back at the base

she knows he's being protective so she says "i'm here and i'm not going anywhere" which is sweet but girl you were in a coma. they had your gravestone made. you are lucky he has not put you in bubblewrap entirely. you can't blame the man for needing you to be safe!!!!

he says he's counting on her and grabs her shoulder with some heavily lingering eye contact that, when i see in gif form, i will surely slam the reblog button upon because. good lord.

jesse is talking to the other guy and he says something like "do what we said" and i'm thinking oh man, they're gonna try to get mulder (spoiler alert: they did not quite do that)

the guy is like "you need a guide to go get trepkos" and i'm even MORE suspicious but his reasoning kind of does make sense- it is a volcano maze, after all- still, when mulder goes with him i was tense

BUT THEN he immediately gets shot with a FLARE GUN? which i did NOT see coming. and trepkos emerges from the back of the volcano caves all burned and wild-looking.

he's covering the newly dead body with gasoline and mulder's asking why he's trying to kill him twice when we see the parasite wriggle in his neck (GAG) so then he shoots him with ANOTHER flare to burn up the evil creature. and he's explaining how if you're exposed to the parasite's spores you're gonna be sick...

and scully is back at the base with jesse... who was exposed... so she's not going to be safe...

and we see jesse in her room gagging and convulsing... oh man... it's not looking good....

trepkos is not letting mulder leave, but mulder does not give a fuck LMAO he says "you're gonna have to shoot me then" and goes to walk out... this man was really thinking "they are NOT gonna take scully from me again" and i know that is exactly right!!!!!

NOOOO the lights go off in the compound........... NOOOOO JESSE ATTACK.....

she's handcuffing her and scully together!!!!!! but scully was smart enough to get her behind a door really fast before jesse collapses and the fungus explodes...... but the handcuffs... was the door open a crack?? was it enough to get her infected???!?!?

mulder BURSTS in to see her handcuffed and she keeps repeating "i'm okay, i'm okay" but he must be so shocked because he asks "you alright?" and gently cups her face and at this point i wanted to do some powerful screaming to let out the things i was feeling

we see trepkos come in and look at jesse's body and he says that he told her how this experience would change her life... and i'm getting callbacks to when mulder told scully it would be a nice trip to the forest, but then the whole evil bugs thing happened in s1 ep20... and i am filled with a deep sadness...

so the duo has been sentenced to a month long quarantine, which i'm sure had to absolutely drive them wild. but i think my mutual wrote a fic on this subject so i just simply have no choice but to go read it now! and i assume that, since there are more seasons, the spores did not actually infect them

(and mulder, who was earlier suggesting time off for scully, must be some mix of terrified that any day now the symptoms will start showing and the end will be near, deeply satisfied that she has been forced into getting rest and healing like he wished, and regretting his words that she should take a break, because here she is taking a break. with him. and they're driving each other crazy)

we see trepkos hiking back into the volcano maze with jesse's body and it was actually really sad :(

overall a good episode, another one in the vein of s1 eps 8 and 20 where there is some sort of contagion and we must figure out from where it started and to whom it has gone... but the formula in these episodes keeps me on the edge of my seat and allows for a convergence of doctor scully and protective mulder, two things i am deeply invested in seeing. and seeing mulder try and keep her away from the case after her whole incident made me emo as hell!!!! he is never going to let her out of his sight again unless he has to go keep her safe by finding the wild man in the volcano!!!!!! and even that backfired!!!! ugh my heart!!!!! i love them so deeply!!!

rip my girl jesse i thought u were rad in the brief time we knew each other

[shipperofdoomedships]

Kate and Yelena are standing in the kitchen of the Avengers compound arguing.

Kate: Belova!

Yelena: Bishop!

Kate Belova!

Bucky is sitting at the kitchen table trying to enjoy his waffles but is also invested in the drama. Peter walks in during the last part of the yelling and gives Bucky a questioning look.

Bucky: They're arguing over who takes who's last name when they get married.

Kate and Yelena are in a stare down at this point both silently arguing with their eyes.

Peter: Why don't you just hyphenate?

Peter narrowly dodges a knife that whizzes past his head and embeds into the wall.

Peter:...ok no hyphenating...rock paper scissors?

Kate and Yelena look at Peter then back to each other.

Yelena: For once Parker one of your ideas isn't completely idiotic.

Peter: Thanks! I mean hey! Rude...

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hey! I was wondering if you could cover the difference between - and — and when to each of them. Thank you!

En Dash vs Em Dash vs Hyphen

En Dash - Used to illustrate a range, such as 1 - 5 Em Dash - Em dashes are used in a variety of ways...

To set off parenthetical information: We left at about six this morning—before the sun was even up—and got there around noon.

To set off apositives with commas: The campsite wasn't where we were expecting it to be—on the north side, not on the west side or on the lakeshore—but it's still beautiful.

To illustrate an interruption in dialogue or a sudden change in thought:

"Look, all I'm saying is—" "I know, I get it. Let's not rehash everything again—wait, did you close that door?"

To bring focus to a list: A loaf of bread, a container of milk, a stick of butter—these are the only things on my grocery list today.

Hyphen - Hyphens are used to connect two words to create a compound word (like king-size bed) and to make a word using a prefix, suffix, or medial element (like "I didn't love the cake-like consistency of the cookie.")

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[punctuation-completionist]

DASH IT ALL!! EVERY DASH EXPLAINED*:

first dash: the en dash! the en dash is named for its length, the length of one n (n– <- you see it right?) the en dash is used for a wealth of things, the most common being in lieu of the word "to" in ranges between numbers, dates, scores, and even things like train routes! (ie. pages 56–62, 1861–1870, a game won 3–4, or a Geneva–Lausanne train). the en dash is also used in complex compound adjectives (ie. jazz music–inspired). it's pretty sweet

second dash: the em dash! this one is also named for its length, it's as long as the letter m (—m see?). the em dash is used to set off parenthetical information— like this— as well as being used to emphasize lists, setting off appositives— an appositive is a small amount of information inserted for clarification, by the way— when the appositives have commas in them (because if there were commas in the appositive and it was set off by a comma... well that would obviously be confusing right?), and to mark a turn in a train of thought. that's everyone's favorite one i'm sure.

the third and fourth dash are: the two em dash and the three em dash (⸺ and ⸻) they are, suprise suprise, named for their length. namely that they are as long as two/three em dashes! the two em dash is used to indicate missing letters in a word (intentionally missing or no) and, fun fact is the origin of the saying "dash it!" this is because curse words such as damn were often shortened to d⸺, thus making the word dash a euphemism for a swear! the three em dash is used for omitting an author's name in bibliographies if their name is repeated. it's boring and also stupid long. not a fan.

fifth dash: the figure dash! if you were reading the en dash entry and thinking "but what about numbers that aren't intervals?" you'll be happy to hear about the figure dash! that's what it's used for! think stuff like phone numbers, they would use this ‒ dash!

sixth dash: the horizontal bar/quotation dash! it's used for quoting things! you could also use an em dash if you're boring! (— this is the figure dash btw)

seventh dash: the swung dash!! yeah there are a lot of dashes sheesh... (⁓ this is what it looks like) and it is used for the omission of words that were previously spelled out. it's mostly used in dictionaries (ie in the definition of the word swung dash, the dictionary could say "the ⁓ is a great mark of punctuation!")

and finally, i will be brief because they are not actually dashes, are the hyphen and the hyphen-minus. what the hell is a hyphen-minus you ask? well, i hate to break it to you but that is the hyphen that is on most keyboards and i hate it so much. similarly to how quotation marks were changed to fit the typewriter, the dash was hurt by the move to typewriters too. in order to fit everything in, the horrible abomination known as the hyphen-minus was born. i try not to think about it. it makes me deeply unhappy. whatever. there are also non breaking hyphens and soft hyphens but that's coding stuff so i'll leave em†.

* or at least i think this is every dash. also the hyphen is here since... people lump it in i guess?

† tee hee

[cosmerelists]

Bridge Four: What Punctuation Mark They’d Be

Previously we considered what parts of speech the Kholin household would like best...for some reason. Next up: Bridge Four as Punctuation Marks!

1. Kaladin: Exclamation Point

We all know that Kaladin is a dramatic boy. When he arrives, he is an exclamation point embodied, usually glowing with Stormlight and there to save the day.

2. Sigzil: Colon

A colon indicates that further information will follow: perhaps a list, or a several-sentence description, or a series of questions. And as a Worldsinger, Sigzil is there to spread information and knowledge. Plus, when he found out about Kaladin’s powers, his first thought was to design experiments to get some good old data points. I can just imagine him writing, “Kaladin’s abilities are as follows:”

3. Rlain: Semicolon

Semicolons connect two independent clauses, much as Rlain, the Bridger of Minds, is able to connect disparate peoples and ideas. The semicolon is solid and steadfast, but does not end the thought like a period does. It brings different thoughts together.

4. Rock: Question Mark

I just remember the scene where we find out that Bridge Four goes to see Rock for advice, and he asks them questions to help them realize what they need/want to do. Rock is the type of person who can help people feel welcome, draw them in, help them open up. So I think a question mark suits him well!

5. Moash: Slash 

The slash can indicate separation and difference, but it can also show options and alternatives: and/or, his/her, color/colour. And yes, Moash has some black and white thinking (or should I say “black/white”)--light-eyes vs. dark-eyes, guilty vs. innocent, and so on. But he also represents alternatives: What if justice does mean killing a king who is liable in your grandparents’ death? What if the Singers should be the rulers? What if Kaladin is wrong? So for many reasons, I think the slash suits him.

He also, like, keeps slashing people to death, but maybe that’s a cheap joke.

6. Renarin: En-Dash

The en-dash is a poorly understood and little utilized punctuation mark: it is used specifically in ranges of numbers (like 14–30). And Renarin too had a specific and little-understood power--seeing the future--whose usefulness was not accepted at first. And when I use the en-dash, I have to manually download it because I don’t actually know the keystroke for it, and people tend to need some time to get used to Renarin too, as when he had to work hard to join Bridge Four.

Look, I swear this makes perfect sense in my head!

7. Teft: Hyphen

The hyphen is a support punctuation mark; it doesn’t get used alone, but rather connects together a compound noun or adjective. And Teft, as the sergeant and also as Kaladin’s friend, has always been there in support. He backs Kaladin up, even going so far as to stay behind when Kaladin was somewhat forcibly retired from the army.

The hyphen can also indicate speech or thoughts being abruptly cut off, but perhaps we won’t talk about that.

8. Skar: Apostrophe

An apostrophe shows ownership and belonging: my mother’s necklace, the captain’s spear. And Skar really is all about his love for being Bridge Four. He was the first to rip off the Cobalt Guard Patch in favor of a Bridge Four patch. He was completely crushed when he couldn’t draw in Stormlight at first, because he was afraid of not being useful to Bridge Four. He still helped others learn to drawn in the Stormlight, though. This love for the group and sense of belonging means the apostrophe suits him well, I think.

9. Dabbid: Ellipses 

Dabbid didn’t speak for a while, at first because of battle shock, and later because he didn’t want the others to know that he thought differently from most people. Now he does speak some, but carefully. And the ellipses can indicate not only silence, but also a pause before continuing.

10. Drehy: Period

Drehy is extremely dependable--he’s one of the first to back up Kaladin, one of the first to pick up fighting, one of the first to learn first aid. He goes with Skar on the mission to Kholinar, and helps rescue Elhokar’s son after we all (or at least me) thought that Sanderson had dared to kill off the one gay character.

And yes, I wanted to pick the gayest punctuation mark for Drehy, but that’s gotta be either the question mark or the ellipses (right?), and I had already used those.

11. Hobber: Comma

The comma lets you know that this isn’t the end; there is more (of the sentence) coming. And Hobber is a figure of hope: he’s so delighted that Kaladin rescues him, that he’s already smiling even though at that point it was likely that he would die. He loses his legs to a shardblade, but later is able to draw in Stormlight to heal himself. So I think “hope” is the emotion I’d associate with Hobber, and I’ve decided that the comma--the “there’s more; don’t worry”--is the punctuation mark for him.

12. Leyten: Brackets

Literally all I know about Leyten is that he is the armorer. And brackets are like strong, uh, breastplates that, uh, protect the words within? 

I’m so sorry, Leyten. I got nothing.

13. Lyn: Em-Dash

The em-dash is very versatile; it can be used in place of a comma or a semicolon or parentheses.  And Lyn is a versatile woman: scout, messenger, soldier, Windrunner. Plus, everyone likes her, in book, and I’m pretty sure the em-dash is everyone’s favorite punctuation mark.

14. Lopen: Interrobang

The interrobang is the combination of the question mark and the exclamation mark: ?!. You might say, “That’s not a proper punctuation mark!” but then, that’s the point! It’s Lopen. He likes to be improper, to joke around and try to shock people.

Plus, I think he’d find the word “interrobang” to be funny.

[copper-16]

Getting a really good editor to look over your WIPs and actually make appropriate corrections to it is also the experience of realizing that perhaps you don’t know how the english language works…at all?

And also that compound adjectives and hyphens are going to haunt you for the rest of your measly life 🤨

But also…less typos? So yay? I guess?