Page History

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• Mixed uppercase and lowercase usage
  • Mixed spelling is used as for any English sentence
• Words in uppercase letters
  • Uppercase letters are used exclusively when technically required, e.g. for environment variables.
  • Uppercase letters sholuld should not be used for emphasis, e.g. do not use "WITHOUT WARRANTY".

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• Use of dashes and hyphens
  
  • Hyphens are used less in English to join words than in German, so be careful when "importing" joined up words from German - particulary particular words that were originally English.
  • Dashes are often used in English to link parts of a sentence:
    • they are often used where the writer is not sure whether a comma, colon or semi-colon should be used
    • they are used to add emphasis - like here - where a part of a sentence phrase is inserted into a sentence.
• Use of commas - these are very simplified rules!
  
  • To structure a sentence:
    • Commas are used less in English to structure sentences than in German, so if you are not sure whether a comma is required then don't use one.
    • Use a comma between parts of a sentence joined with a word starting with a "w" - such as "which", "who", "when"
      ("... enter the data in the search field, which you will find at the top right of the form.")
    • Don't use a comma between parts of a sentence joined with a word starting with a "t" - such as "that"
      ("... enter the data in the search field that you will find at the top right of the form.")
  • In lists of items:
    • Use a comma to seperate separate items - e.g. "one, two, three and four"
      (but in lists of longer items - e.g. "this is item one; this is item two and this is item three" - use a semicolon and place a colon before the list)
  • Do not use a comma before "and", "but" or "because"
• Using joined-up words, separate words or words joined by a  hyphen:Writing in one word or multiple words
  
  • German rules for writing in one word would not apply for English, therefore use "job chain" instead of "jobchain" ", even though this is often done, particularly in professional usage.
  • The most important general rule - that a hyphen should be used if both words used together have a different meaning to when they are used separately - is wonderfully ambiguous:
    • So, a hyphen is not required in "job chain" because a job chain is the same as a chain of jobs 
  • Hyphens are used to clear up meaning when this is clear from the text itself:
    • Example a: it is clear that "job chain parameter" would almost never refer to a "chain parameter" job so it is not necessary to use a hyphen between job and chain here.
    • Example b: "job-run time" and "job run-time" have different meanings.

    • Example c: "more-regular job starts" has a different meaning to "more regular job starts".