# Question about split method **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [February 25, 2008, 11:37am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-split-method/130094 "2008-02-25T11:37:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/4bbf92/32.png) [@glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/glenn)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 11:37am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-split-method/130094/1 "2008-02-25T11:37:27Z")
Hello, I’m wondering if there is a method for the String class that splits a string on some characters and keeps the split characters in the elements of the resulting array? The split method returns an array in this example: p “This is a sentence. This is a sentence! This is a sentence?”.strip.split(/.|?|!/) [“This is a sentence”, " This is a sentence", " This is a sentence"] The three sentences in the above string have very different meanings, but loose those meanings without the punctuation, so I’d like to keep the punctuation. I’d like a method that keeps the split characters, and returns this array: [“This is a sentence.”, " This is a sentence!", " This is a sentence?"] Does such an array exist? If not, would it be possible to modify the split method to produce that result? I’m running Ruby 1.8.6 on Windows. Thanks for your help. ---
**Author:** ![glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/4bbf92/32.png) [@glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/glenn)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 12:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-split-method/130094/2 "2008-02-25T12:11:03Z")
> Does such an array exist? If not, would it be possible to modify the split method to produce that result? If you put the pattern in a group, it will be included in the array – but not quite in the way you described: irb(main):001:0\> p “This is a sentence. This is a sentence! This is a sentence?”.strip.split(/(.|?|!)/) [“This is a sentence”, “.”, " This is a sentence", “!”, " This is a sentence", “?”] Regards, Thomas. ---
**Author:** ![glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/4bbf92/32.png) [@glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/glenn)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-split-method/130094/3 "2008-02-25T13:44:35Z")
2008/2/25, Glenn [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > The three sentences in the above string have very different meanings, but loose those meanings without the punctuation, so I’d like to keep the punctuation. I’d like a method that keeps the split characters, and returns this array: > > [“This is a sentence.”, " This is a sentence!“, " This is a sentence?”] > > Does such an array exist? If not, would it be possible to modify the split method to produce that result? > > I’m running Ruby 1.8.6 on Windows. Hm, you could do it with lookbehind on 1.9. On 1.8 you only have lookforward which gives you this: irb(main):002:0\> “a. b.”.split /(?=.\s+)/ =\> [“a”, “. b.”] Not quite what you wanted. 🙂 But here’s an alternative approach which works with 1.8: irb(main):005:0\> “a. b. c! d? e.”.scan /.\*?.!?/ =\> ["a. ", "b. ", "c! ", "d? ", “e.”] Kind regards robert ---
**Author:** ![glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/4bbf92/32.png) [@glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/glenn)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-split-method/130094/4 "2008-02-25T20:03:49Z")
how about spliting across the the possible punctuation? e.g. “This is a sentence. This is a sentence? This is a sentence!”.strip.split(/(.|?|!)/) — Glenn [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > sentence?".strip.split(/.|?|!/) ``` ____________________________________________________________________________________ ``` Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. [http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping](http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping) ---
**Author:** ![glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/4bbf92/32.png) [@glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/glenn)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-split-method/130094/5 "2008-02-25T22:00:23Z")
On Feb 25, 2008, at 6:43 AM, Robert K. wrote: > > sentence?".strip.split(/.|?|!/) > > sentence?"] > > =\> [“a”, “. b.”] > > Not quite what you wanted. 🙂 We can turn look-ahead into into look-behind, though it’s not pretty: $ ruby -ve ‘p “This is a sentence. This is a sentence! This is a sentence?”.reverse.split(/(?=(?:\A|\s+)[.!?])/).map { |s| s.reverse }.reverse’ ruby 1.8.6 (2007-09-24 patchlevel 111) [i686-darwin9.1.0] ["This is a sentence. ", "This is a sentence! ", “This is a sentence?”] James Edward G. II ---
**Author:** ![glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/4bbf92/32.png) [@glenn](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/glenn)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-split-method/130094/6 "2009-03-16T16:17:00Z")
This post is old, but since I’m searching for something else but landed on this post in Google, but I have a better solution for this particular post than other suggestions posted above, so I hope you guy don’t mind my resurrection of the post. My solution is this: puts “This is a sentence. This is a sentence! This is a sentence?”.strip.split(/\b(.|?|!)\b/) If you try out the code above, it will return: This is a sentence. This is a sentence! This is a sentence? =\> nil 🙂 Try that in irb!