Re: [boost] [range] How to extend Boost.Range?

From: Rob Stewart (stewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-09-15 11:53:37

From: David Abrahams <dave_at_[hidden]>
> "Jonathan Turkanis" <technews_at_[hidden]> writes:
> > David Abrahams wrote:
> >> "Jonathan Turkanis" <technews_at_[hidden]> writes:
> >>
> >>> I have exactly the same situation in Iostreams. I give each function
> >>> its own page of documentation, with tables demonstrating how the
> >>> semantics depends on the properties of the template parameters. For
> >>> example:
> >>>
> >>>  www.boost.org/libs/iostreams/doc/?page=functions/read.html%23reference
> >>
> >> not bad.  A nit:
> >>
> >>     The semantics of read depends on the category of T as follows
> >>                                 ^
> >>                                 ^
> >> "semantics" is plural, so drop the "s" here.
> >
> > Are you sure? I'd say it's a mass noun.
> 
> What's a mass noun?  e.g., "Water?"

I'd never heard of "mass noun" before, either.  (If I did, it was
in elementary or middle school and I don't recall learning it.  I
don't recall a lot from back then!)

I looked at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_noun to get more
information (I'm going to have to edit that page; there are some
awkward things on it!).  I certainly know about mass nouns, but
never knew what they were called.

Thanks for the grammatical lesson Jonathan!

> http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=semantics seems to indicate
> it could go either way, if I am reading it correctly.  Oh, well.

I think "semantics" being "the study..." means that it should be
treated as a mass noun.  I can't grok M-W's "noun plural but
singular or plural in construction."

> I guess it would read more easily if you'd replace "semantics" with
> "effect."

Indeed.  That would resolve the matter handily.

-- 
Rob Stewart                           stewart_at_[hidden]
Software Engineer                     http://www.sig.com
Susquehanna International Group, LLP  using std::disclaimer;