Seriousness What about commas? - Page 3

TGS · 10-10-2010, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

We could even have more than one Christmas !?

Oy vey...enough already!

GeoffC · 10-10-2010, 08:23 AM

and, of course, the wives could have had numerous husbands ...... :giggle:

TGS · 10-10-2010, 08:25 AM

kindlekitten · 10-10-2010, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

you have more than one head

don't all men?

Sweetpea · 10-10-2010, 09:23 AM

The (mis)use of commas and quotes can be annoying.
Especially if your native language has different rules...

I'm going home but he's not. vs. I'm going home, but he's not.

vivaldirules · 10-10-2010, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

The (mis)use of commas and quotes can be annoying.
Especially if your native language has different rules...

I'm going home but he's not. vs. I'm going home, but he's not.

Can you tell me what the rule is in this case, please? I would have guessed that either is acceptable though I would likely have left out the comma.

GeoffC · 10-10-2010, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

The (mis)use of commas and quotes can be annoying.
Especially if your native language has different rules...

I'm going home but he's not. vs. I'm going home, but he's not.

I would say either is acceptable; a case may be made for that comma to be replaced by a semi-colon ?

HarryT · 10-10-2010, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I would say either is acceptable; a case may be made for that comma to be replaced by a semi-colon ?

I really don't think so, Geoff. Why would you want to use a semicolon?

GeoffC · 10-10-2010, 12:18 PM

I have just read Chapter One of Elements of Style, and it indicates the comma is the correct punctuation in this case, if any is needed of course.

[English Grammar has never been a strong point for me, and never will be - "O" level was hard enough to pass !]

alecE · 10-10-2010, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I really, really hope that you wrote that in irony?

Er yes, guilty m'lud. Rampant irony in a semi-public place.

poohbear_nc · 10-10-2010, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alecE

Er yes, guilty m'lud. Rampant irony in a semi-public place.

Guilty! Off, with his head!

GraceKrispy · 10-10-2010, 05:33 PM

which one, poohbear?

CazMar · 10-10-2010, 06:16 PM

Is the problem of poor grammar really a teaching method problem? Perhaps it should be a part of language teaching that there is a "spoken language" and a "written language". Spoken language also covers casual emails, texts, Twitter and so on, written language is what should be used for literature, essays, business letters.
People writing in the the Roman era often wrote in the then archaic Attic Greek as a way of showing how well educated and intellectual they were. I'm not proposing this should be done in English (!) but it does show that the human brain can certainly cope with a separate literary method of expression. Or do modern teachers think their pupils are so dumb that they couldn't cope with this? I sometimes suspect this is closer to the truth!

mrscoach · 10-10-2010, 06:32 PM

The English teacher I know TRY to get grammar through the kids' heads, but they don't think it is important. Most don't see themselves needing to write in formal register instead of informal register as they get older. In other words, they see themselves needing to write well about as much as they see themselves needing algebra 2 and calculus, not at all.

They only know how to write like they talk, hence my beef with using 'cause' instead of 'because'. We did allow this if it was in dialogue, but we had them write that way very rarely.

Oh, and Strunck and White's Elements of Style is more for publishing such as newspapers and magazines, if I remember my college classes correctly. I lost my copy years ago, and haven't looked at one in longer than that.

lene1949 · 10-10-2010, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

are they not allowed to 'breathe out', too ?

I should have left the 'in' out...

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10-10-2010, 08:23 AM	#32
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	and, of course, the wives could have had numerous husbands ...... :giggle:

10-10-2010, 08:25 AM	#33
TGS Country Member Posts: 9,058 Karma: 7676767 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.

10-10-2010, 09:23 AM	#35
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	The (mis)use of commas and quotes can be annoying. Especially if your native language has different rules... I'm going home but he's not. vs. I'm going home, but he's not.

10-10-2010, 12:18 PM	#39
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	I have just read Chapter One of Elements of Style, and it indicates the comma is the correct punctuation in this case, if any is needed of course. [English Grammar has never been a strong point for me, and never will be - "O" level was hard enough to pass !]

10-10-2010, 05:33 PM	#42
GraceKrispy It's Dr. Penguin now! Posts: 3,909 Karma: 4705733 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: (USA) Device: iPad mini, Samsung Note 3, Sony PRS-650 (rarely used now)	which one, poohbear?

10-10-2010, 06:16 PM	#43
CazMar Book Geek Posts: 596 Karma: 1499085 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Adelaide, Australia Device: Kobo Touch, Asus MemPad 7" tablet, Nexus 5, Asus 10" tablet	Is the problem of poor grammar really a teaching method problem? Perhaps it should be a part of language teaching that there is a "spoken language" and a "written language". Spoken language also covers casual emails, texts, Twitter and so on, written language is what should be used for literature, essays, business letters. People writing in the the Roman era often wrote in the then archaic Attic Greek as a way of showing how well educated and intellectual they were. I'm not proposing this should be done in English (!) but it does show that the human brain can certainly cope with a separate literary method of expression. Or do modern teachers think their pupils are so dumb that they couldn't cope with this? I sometimes suspect this is closer to the truth!

10-10-2010, 06:32 PM	#44
mrscoach Guru Posts: 767 Karma: 4837659 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: San Angelo Texas Device: Samsung Galaxy tab	The English teacher I know TRY to get grammar through the kids' heads, but they don't think it is important. Most don't see themselves needing to write in formal register instead of informal register as they get older. In other words, they see themselves needing to write well about as much as they see themselves needing algebra 2 and calculus, not at all. They only know how to write like they talk, hence my beef with using 'cause' instead of 'because'. We did allow this if it was in dialogue, but we had them write that way very rarely. Oh, and Strunck and White's Elements of Style is more for publishing such as newspapers and magazines, if I remember my college classes correctly. I lost my copy years ago, and haven't looked at one in longer than that.