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Re: problem repeat entry for a number
From: |
Thien-Thi Nguyen |
Subject: |
Re: problem repeat entry for a number |
Date: |
Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:46:22 +0100 |
User-agent: |
Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.0.92 (gnu/linux) |
() source liu <sourceonly@gmail.com>
() Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:13:55 +0800
emmm.... that's the way i think so. as i don't exactly know
the "flag" means, i want to try it out manually, unfortunately
i choose "minus sign" (is that char '-' on keyboard? ), for i
think it's equivalent to "C - u" according to the description
above.
I can see two possible meanings of this sentence:
C-u following the digits or minus sign ends the argument.
In the first way, we could read it as:
C-u following the digits or minus sign ends the argument.
--- ---------------------------------- -----------------
NP PREP VP
where NP ≡ noun phrase, PREP ≡ prepositional phrase, VP ≡ verb
phrase. Discarding PREP, the gist of the sentence (NP VP) is:
C-u ends the argument.
In the second way, we could read it as:
C-u following the digits or minus sign ends the argument.
--- -------------------- -- ---------- -----------------
NP1 PREP C NP2 VP
where C ≡ conjunction. Discarding PREP, the gist is:
C-u or minus sign ends the argument.
--- -- ----------
NP1 C NP2
------------------- -----------------
NP VP
I think this is what led you to:
[...] type C - u 9 '-' to terminate num args input, but it
direct layout --------- (nine '-'s) in buffer.
yet i have never tried "C - u" instead of the minus sign '-',
what a pity that the fact is only several feet away from me.
To a native English speaker, probably the first way above would
seem most natural. To express the second way, an explicit setup,
commas, and (maybe) an indefinite article, would be used:
Either C-u, following the digits, or a minus sign, ends the argument.
------ --- -------------------- -- ------------ -----------------
SETUP NP1 PREP C NP2 VP
Here, SETUP gives a clue that C is forthcoming, the "a" in NP2
gives a clue that "minus sign" is not parallel to "digits" (which
has a definite article "the") and thus is not part of PREP. Now
this construction is much more verbose and comma-plicated :-D,
and would merit low style marks. To improve it, one could shift
PREP after NP2, leaving a more idiomatic compound-NP:
C-u or minus sign, following the digits, ends the argument.
--- -- ---------- -------------------- -----------------
NP1 C NP2 PREP VP
-------------------
NP
Note we drop SETUP, the "a" in NP2, and also one comma. All
this work just to express well an _incorrect_ description of
the behavior!
So, back to the real problem: Is there anything you would
suggest to the Emacs hackers for the purpose of improving the
text so that it expresses well (unambiguously and in good style)
the _correct_ description (the first way) of the behavior?
That's the point, i always want to run before i can walk.
That's natural. In any case, you can run around a lot in Emacs.
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, (continued)
Re: problem repeat entry for a number, Teemu Likonen, 2012/03/07
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, source liu, 2012/03/07
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, Thien-Thi Nguyen, 2012/03/08
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, source liu, 2012/03/08
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, Thien-Thi Nguyen, 2012/03/08
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, source liu, 2012/03/08
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, Thien-Thi Nguyen, 2012/03/12
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, source liu, 2012/03/12
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number,
Thien-Thi Nguyen <=
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, source liu, 2012/03/13
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, Thien-Thi Nguyen, 2012/03/14
- Re: problem repeat entry for a number, source liu, 2012/03/14
RE: problem repeat entry for a number, Drew Adams, 2012/03/13
Re: problem repeat entry for a number, source liu, 2012/03/13