The one place where I find parenthesis really jarring is in the middle of quotes. I just can't wrap my head around something like
> "I'm sending (via email) an encrypted message", Alice said to Bob
Especially in a book that's been supposedly copy edited. Em dashes or commas or just a plain run-on sentences feel much more appropriate for the general lack of structure in real speech.
oska 3 hours ago [-]
I don't like the two examples of parenthesis used in the title & subtitle of this piece, where they put wonderful and perfect in parentheses before a noun phrase.
Putting adjectives in parentheses before a noun (phrase) is, yes, a useful device but those adjectives should usually be words that give more (but not necessary) information, rather than purely subjective qualifiers such as the two that the author uses. I know they're probably being a bit tongue in cheek but it still grates a little that these were the two examples they led with.
F3nd0 55 minutes ago [-]
Well, you’re getting more information about the author’s subjective opinion (which they may have deemed unnecessary to include in the main, non-parenthesised text).
golol 35 minutes ago [-]
I just had thw thought: aren't parentheses just punctuation denoting an inline footnote?
sudo_cowsay 3 hours ago [-]
I don't know why but I seem to use more parenthesis (even if I should be using commas).
lioeters 54 minutes ago [-]
I try not to use parentheses, favoring other ways of interleaving thoughts - like this - unless I feel a stray idea deserves mentioning (like so). What's disgraceful that I'd never do myself, but certainly sympathetic to the motive, are double-parentheses (likely from Lispers (who think in nested lists)).
pfdietz 2 hours ago [-]
And not a single mention of Lisp? Tsk.
6LLvveMx2koXfwn 34 minutes ago [-]
Came for comments with an unreasonable amount of parenthesis; not disappointed.
Rendered at 05:43:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Vercel.
> "I'm sending (via email) an encrypted message", Alice said to Bob
Especially in a book that's been supposedly copy edited. Em dashes or commas or just a plain run-on sentences feel much more appropriate for the general lack of structure in real speech.
Putting adjectives in parentheses before a noun (phrase) is, yes, a useful device but those adjectives should usually be words that give more (but not necessary) information, rather than purely subjective qualifiers such as the two that the author uses. I know they're probably being a bit tongue in cheek but it still grates a little that these were the two examples they led with.