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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Parenthesis anguish

131 replies

Nunoftheother · 12/02/2021 20:34

Yes, I am indubitably unreasonable because:

a) This issue is about as inconsequential as it's possible to be and;
b) It should probably be in Pedants' Corner.

But why, why, why do people keep typing a space after the first bracket of a parenthesis? I see it on here at least 50% of the time brackets are used. It's serves no purpose, makes the whole parenthesis look uneven and often leaves orphaned open-bracket symbols forlornly marooned at the end of a line of text. Above all, it's just wrong in every way.

Why have people decided this is de rigueur all of a sudden? Or is it an unfortunate effect of autocorrect?

And, parenthetically, I get just as upset about spaces being left before question marks and exclamation marks. Why ???!!!

OP posts:
DarcyJack · 12/02/2021 22:01

Oh God !!!! ( you people) x

AdultierAdult · 12/02/2021 22:03

Also now I think about it my dad does it. French was his first language and perhaps that has something to do with it as my cousins do it too.

LemonRedwood · 12/02/2021 22:06

I've just discovered that autocorrect will add a space before an exclamation mark when I'm using the French keyboard (still a qwerty keyboard, just the option on my phone that comes with all the accented letters).

Like this!

Comme ça !

I did not press space either time. Weird. Is that a French thing? I never knew!

LemonRedwood · 12/02/2021 22:09

The above may also be specific to the keyboard I'm using. I use SwiftKey keyboard on my mobile as I can switch languages and the autocorrect picks up which one I'm typing in automatically without having to change the settings.

HalfGirlHalfCake · 12/02/2021 22:09

You can then get into a discussion about double parenthesis where (for the sake of argument (if this sort of thing is important (and you ignore the Oxford comma))), one can get into a quite technical discussion about, when all things are said, should one end a sentence or just keep going, taking a breath when a comma (or maybe a parenthesis) might be, if one considers it, appropriate.

Original poster
Nunoftheother · 12/02/2021 22:14

@LemonRedwood

I've just discovered that autocorrect will add a space before an exclamation mark when I'm using the French keyboard (still a qwerty keyboard, just the option on my phone that comes with all the accented letters).

Like this!

Comme ça !

I did not press space either time. Weird. Is that a French thing? I never knew!

Yes, in French you leave a space before a question mark or exclamation mark. Not sure about brackets.
OP posts:
NotJackieWeaver · 12/02/2021 22:14

“for the sake of argument”

I think I found my new username

MountainDweller · 12/02/2021 22:16

@LemonRedwood I came to say exactly the same thing. I'm on an iPad that autocorrects in English and French. C'est embêtant !

LemonRedwood · 12/02/2021 22:16

Yes, in French you leave a space before a question mark or exclamation mark. Not sure about brackets.

I may have inadvertently been annoying French pedants for my entire life

NotJackieWeaver · 12/02/2021 22:19

“........spaces being left before question marks and exclamation marks. Why ???!!!”

We have our answer: Parce que c’est chic!

MountainDweller · 12/02/2021 22:19

Adding re French - I think in Word it only leaves a half space, which is more 'correct' and less obvious.

LemonRedwood · 12/02/2021 22:19

[quote MountainDweller]@LemonRedwood I came to say exactly the same thing. I'm on an iPad that autocorrects in English and French. C'est embêtant ![/quote]
I've always taken pains to delete the space as I agree, it's very annoying, but now I find out I should have been leaving it there. Oops!

MountainDweller · 12/02/2021 22:21

LemonRedwood I delete them too - they look odd to me Blush

jetadore · 12/02/2021 22:21

Old boss of mine used to double space after full stops like he was on a typewriter. Then complain about all the red squiggles Word was putting everywhere. He used to thump the keys unnecessarily hard like it was a typewriter as well, oh and also clip his toenails at his desk, lol xxx

Original poster
Nunoftheother · 12/02/2021 22:26

@HalfGirlHalfCake

You can then get into a discussion about double parenthesis where (for the sake of argument (if this sort of thing is important (and you ignore the Oxford comma))), one can get into a quite technical discussion about, when all things are said, should one end a sentence or just keep going, taking a breath when a comma (or maybe a parenthesis) might be, if one considers it, appropriate.
This genuinely made me laugh out loud. (Although I'm not claiming to have spat my tea out or woken a sleeping husband/baby/cat/gerbil.)

Who'd have thought punctuation could be so entertaining?!

OP posts:
AtlasPine · 12/02/2021 22:27

I use dashes too much - this sort of thing - to extend sentences, sometimes far beyond the level to which they ought to be extended - I have no idea why - laziness perhaps.

goodwinter · 12/02/2021 22:31

@AtlasPine

I use dashes too much - this sort of thing - to extend sentences, sometimes far beyond the level to which they ought to be extended - I have no idea why - laziness perhaps.
I do this too; @ I have to read through work emails before I send them to correct the over-dashing and put full stops in instead. I have no idea why I do it either!
Puffalicious · 12/02/2021 22:32

Whilst we're here folks, why are adverbs disappearing? Everyone these days are told they did brilliant. Angry. It's on TV/ films all the time.

grandmasterstitch · 12/02/2021 22:34

Advice and advise are mine.

"Please could I get some advise?"

No, get out immediately.

Original poster
Nunoftheother · 12/02/2021 22:35

@NotJackieWeaver

“........spaces being left before question marks and exclamation marks. Why ???!!!”

We have our answer: Parce que c’est chic!

Voilà - c'est ça, exactement !

J'adore cette idée et je me sens beaucoup mieux maintenant !

OP posts:
VinylDetective · 12/02/2021 22:35

@Puffalicious

Whilst we're here folks, why are adverbs disappearing? Everyone these days are told they did brilliant. Angry. It's on TV/ films all the time.
It is. The bloke and I shout at the screen.
NotJackieWeaver · 12/02/2021 22:37

Good. You are not dogmatic enough to be in pedants’ corner OP have some flowers in square brackets Flowers

Original poster
Nunoftheother · 12/02/2021 22:38

@Puffalicious

Whilst we're here folks, why are adverbs disappearing? Everyone these days are told they did brilliant. Angry. It's on TV/ films all the time.
Hate this. Also everything is "amazing" these days (more a stylistic thing than grammar, I guess). Everyone has an "amazing" job, an "amazing" relationship with their "amazing" partner who's "done amazing" with their career.

I'm still waiting to be actually amazed by anything (other than by people's idiocy).

OP posts:
AtlasPine · 12/02/2021 22:39

My little pet peeve. I don’t like the verb ‘invite’ being used in place of a noun. ‘I sent you an invite.’ No - you sent me an invitation or you invited me.

katy1213 · 12/02/2021 22:41

And a rogue semi-colon. But I could live with all of the above if only Mumsnetters could get to grips with their pronouns. Me and her went - me and him did whatever - aarrgghh. And then, bizarrely, something will be given to DH and I!