FOR
1876
The first long sound of each
vowel is exemplified in the following words:—
John Ogilvie. The imperial
dictionary. 1876 (originally published 1851)
1884
The OED uses the combination :—, in a bold type, to indicate ‘normal
development of’ in an etymology (1884). But this was a symbol, rather than a
piece of punctuation.
1901–1912
The marked vowels are shown in the following line, which is printed at
the top of each page:—
Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary. Chambers, 1912 (originally published 1901)
1905–1933 (see 1956 in Against)
When necessary these have been indicated in the following
way:—
F Howard Collins. Authors’ and printers’ dictionary. OUP,
7/e 1933 (originally published 1905)
1919
[concerning use of a dash]
With colon or other stop
before a quotation.
11. Hear Milton:—How charming
is divine Philosophy!
12. What says Bacon?—revenge
is a kind of wild justice.
H W & F G Fowler. The king’s
English. OUP, 2/e 1919
1949 (see 1963 in Against)
Note the passive
construction:—
The
servant was told to open the window.
A S Hornby. The advancer learner’s
dictionary of current English. OUP, 1/e 1948
AGAINST
1886
The vowels are as follows:
a, like a in far or ask.
Charles Annandale. A concise dictionary of the English
language. 1886
1951
The colon has a further purpose in directing attention
forward (we have one golden rule: look
before you leap), and there is much to be said for confining it to this.
The dash — is sometimes used for the same purpose, but in the form :— it is
superfluous and should be omitted
Brooke Crutchley. Preparation of manuscripts and correction of
proofs. CUP, 2/e 1964 (originally published 1951)
1954
With a colon to introduce a
substantial quotation or a list (e.g. as
follows:—). This, though common, is unnecessary since either the colon or
the dash can do all that is needed by itself.
Sir Ernest Gowers. The complete
plain words. HMSO, 1/e 1954,
transcribed from
1956 (see 1905–1933 in For)
When necessary these have been indicated in the following
way:
F Howard Collins. Authors’ and printers’ dictionary. OUP,
10/e 1956
1963 (see 1949 in For)
Note the passive
construction:
1. He was elected king.
A S Hornby. The advancer learner’s
dictionary of current English. OUP, 1/e 1948
1983 (but also much earlier!)
Omit the dash when the colon
is used to preface a quotation or other matter, whether at the end of a
break-line or not.
Hart’s rules for compositors and
readers at the University Press, Oxford. 39/e 1983
