Hi Kris,
Your proposed change
also works for me. Short crisp sentences are easier to
parse. Itâs not always clear to ESL readers what to do with
the semicolon and how the segments before and after the
punctuation are related.
Gershon JosephÂ|ÂSenior
Information Architect |ÂPrecision ContentÂ
Direct:Â+972 (54) 658-3887|ÂEmail:Âgershon@precisioncontent.comÂ|
www.precisioncontent.com
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From:
Kristen
James Eberlein <kris@eberleinconsulting.com>
Date: Monday, 29 November 2021 at 17:12
To: DITA TC <dita@lists.oasis-open.org>,
Gershon Joseph <gershon@precisioncontent.com>
Subject: Semi-colons and readability of sentences
Gersgon, you mentioned that you thought that the use of
semi-colons made a sentence harder for a ESL reader. Can I ask
why you think that? And do other TC members have thoughts
and/or experience here?
I'm working a comment in the most recent DITAweb review,
where you requested a change:
Original text
The <figgroup> element can nest; it also can contain
multiple cross-references, footnotes, and keywords.
Requested change
The <figgroup>element can nest and can contain multiple
cross-references, footnotes, and keywords
To me, the original text is easier to read and parse ... If I
were to change it, I'd tend to rework it as follows: "The
<figgroup> element can nest. It
also can contain multiple cross-references,
footnotes, and keywords
--
Best,
Kris