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Re: semantic difference between EM and STRONG and when should they be combined

for

From: Kynn Bartlett
Date: Aug 16, 2002 9:51AM

At 1:02 AM -0400 8/16/02, Tim Luoma wrote:
>I've been using EM and STRONG for awhile, but I want to make sure
>that I'm using them correctly.... actually I'm realizing I'm not
>entirely sure what the proper usage of them is, semantically
>speaking, since they seem quite similar... It almost seems like
>EFFECT vs AFFECT or WHO vs WHOM in English... I know there's a
>difference, but I'm never sure I'm using them correctly.

There's not really a hard and fast rule (despite what some people might
say). <em> is "less strong" and <strong> is "more strong" but apart
from that there are no defined parameters for each. (Effect/affect and
who/whom have very strongly defined rules for use.)

Contrary to popular belief, don't use both if you want something to be
REALLY REALLY strong. Instead, combine them together if and only if you
want to emphasize something within already emphasized text.

--Kynn

--
Kynn Bartlett < <EMAIL REMOVED> > http://kynn.com
Chief Technologist, Idyll Mountain http://idyllmtn.com
Next Book: Teach Yourself CSS in 24 http://cssin24hours.com
Kynn on Web Accessibility ->> http://kynn.com/+sitepoint


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