[Python-Dev] Dash (original) (raw)

Serhiy Storchaka storchaka at gmail.com
Sat Jul 20 14🔞02 CEST 2013

19.07.13 22:32, Ben Finney написав(ла):

Serhiy Storchaka <storchaka at gmail.com> writes:

I'm asking only about this case, when the dash is used to denote a break in a sentence or to set off parenthetical statements. That's two separate cases: * denote a break in a sentence * set off parenthetical statements

In Wikipedia they considered as one case.

In my experience, an em dash is commonly used for the former, and en dashes commonly used for the latter. Using the same dash for both is unusual (and IMO needlessly ambiguous to the reader).

This is definitely should be described in the official guide. I never heard about this.

Currently Python documentation uses fourth variants: All your examples are only for parenthetical statements. Can you find examples of the former, where a break (not parenthetical) in the sentence is intended?

(2) and (4) are from Wikipedia (which consider it as one case). Here are real random examples from Python documentation:

  1. "Common installation tools such as Distribute and pip work as expected with venvs - i.e. when a venv is active, they install Python packages into the venv without needing to be told to do so explicitly."

  2. "Enter string in the table of "interned" strings and return the interned string which is string itself or a copy."

  3. "The :class:set type is mutable --- the contents can be changed using methods like :meth:add and :meth:remove."

  4. "Three locking mechanisms are used---dot locking and, if available, the :c:func:flock and :c:func:lockf system calls."

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