[bug #66103] manpage-10n project: issues in man pages

[Dave]

Follow-up Comment #7, bug #66103 (group groff):

[comment #1 comment #1:]
> Use of a colon is poor grammar when the ensuing list fails to
> exhibit sentence-ending punctuation,

Avoiding such constructions is a valid style choice, but it's hard to justify
calling it poor grammar when respected style guides like the Chicago Manual of
Style endorse the practice.

The CMOS is behind a paywall, so I can't link to its online version, but
section 6.141 of the just-released 18th edition says, "A vertical list is best
introduced by a grammatically complete sentence, followed by a colon."  This
advice goes back to at least the 13th edition (section 5.78, though it's more
limited in scope there), predating your nemesis Russell Harper's hand on the
CMOS tiller.

While the 6.141 text doesn't directly address post-list terminal punctuation,
multiple examples in the section show none after the list--which is
reasonable, since, absent a continuation of the introducing sentence, how
would one even place terminal punctuation in a way that wouldn't look
ridiculous?


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