Signs and Symbols

This is an excerpt from a recent email exchange between me and my friend of almost 25 years, David. Very smart guy. I love that he tolerates my (frequent) Archie Bunkerisms. He has been both a computational linguist and a dishwasher. And I, a barmaid and teacher. We often discuss punctuation when we aren't ranting about various movie boyfriends and the state of the world (and recipes for girl drinks that end up green).

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David: I'm weaning myself off semi-colons. Oh, how I love them!

Me: You are such an excellent writer, Dave -- always have been. Hah...I love the semi-colons too...my favourite punctuation mark. Are you at home?
Me: I also like question marks, though...especially the upside down one in Spanish.

David: I'm becoming dangerously fond of the em-dash. Or should I say em—dash?
Me: I like that too, but I don't know how to format it properly and it often looks like a double hyphen like this --

David: I dunno... double hyphen is double hyphen. Em-dash is its own character. The big question is — and here I insert this interjective clause—does it get set off with flanking spaces or jam up against the words it comes between? Wars have started over less.

Me: Don't get me started!! Hah. Interesting question re the em dash thing.
I prefer it to the double hyphen, but don't know how to do it on my
keyboard. What a loser....xm
David: Macintosh-type computer? It's either Command-hyphen or Command-Shift-hyphen or something like that. On Windows it's wait-for-rain-stand-outside-arms-akimbo-moaning-gently-call-help-desk-send-money-to-Gates-Foundation-shift-control-esc-delete-F1-F3-left-hand-yellow-right-foot-blue-TWISTER! (Starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton-cum-Pullman.)

--
David
- Show quoted text –

(I love the quoted text the most, especially David's)