When introducing a term that can go by more than one name, it is common to mention the name followed by "or", the second name, and then the rest of the statement, explanation, or what have you. When spoken, there is typically a slight pause delimiting the "or second name" fragment from the rest of the sentence. This pause is important, as it helps to emphasize that the two names separated by the "or" both refer to the same thing, as opposed to giving the impression that you are referring to two separate, yet related things.
To give an example, I wish to express something like the following:
A member function [slight pause] or method is a function defined as part of a class.
Where member function and method are two names for the same thing: a function defined within a class body to be part of that class.
My question is: how do you properly transcribe this speech pattern? At various points in time, from what I can currently remember, I've seen this pattern written a few different ways:
- Delimited with commas
A member function, or method, is [...]
- Delimited with em dashes
A member function—or method—is [...]
- No punctuation
A member function or method is [...]
Are any of these correct, or is one more correct than another? Is it perhaps even a style preference?
