Be Right Back, Uninstalling

Since my wife was an English major and I was briefly journalism we approach language from different angles. Since we are nerds we argue about it. Our latest disagreement is about sprinkling your writing with lots of commas and unnessecary clauses. I think it makes things harder to read and serves no purpose than to show you are educated. The writing should stand on its own. She thinks it shows you are educated and challenges the reader to get on your level. What say ye?

no, no, NO, no, no, yes, no again, and NO!





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Have I failed English yet?

Oh god, any one who's read my writing will know that I'm HORRIBLE when it comes to run ons >.<

imho language is like coding

a confusing series of letters that i dont like

but other than that, it should be simple and re-useable

Personally, I think complicated sentences can be sexy.

Imo sprinkling your writing with commas and such usually only serves to sate the writers ego more than anything. It's like people with word of the day calenders, just waiting for every opportunity to slide what they think is clever into a sentence when really the statement would be far less pretentious without it.

Big words and fancy rhetoric are to toys what clean and simple diction is to tools.

I like action figures as much as the next guy, but you can't build a city with them.

I hate commas, but I don't know any other way to make decent sentences.  Whenever I write anything I obsess over how many commas I have.

Depends on the situation. School paper, yes. Brb.u forum, not really.

If theres a problem with too many commas, and a problem with not enough commas, why don't you two just hit a middle ground and make do with just enough commas?

(08-07-2009, 02:08 PM)Sponson link Wrote: [ -> ]If theres a problem with too many commas, and a problem with not enough commas, why don't you two just hit a middle ground and make do with just enough commas?

yes.

(08-07-2009, 02:10 PM)Versus-pwny- link Wrote: [ -> ][quote author=Sponson link=topic=3418.msg104490#msg104490 date=1249672092]
If theres a problem with too many commas, and a problem with not enough commas, why don't you two just hit a middle ground and make do with just enough commas?

yes.
[/quote]

I sent that bitch a comma.

Bitches love commas.

Get on my level.

Now it's been a long time since I was in an english class, and maybe I was taught differently, but I have to ask: isn't your punctuation a little bit off in both those options?

edit: That said, I don't mind the grammar or punctuation so much if it's for a reason. For example, if the grammar and punctuation (or lack thereof) lend themselves to a a unique and authentic voice, then I don't mind it - I even appreciate it. But it's out of pure laziness (subjectively speaking of course), well... actually I don't really care that much. I have my friends that I nitpick on teh grammarz with, but they are all high school chums.

edit x2: in retrospect, I suppose that's why the poll read "pick your poison." QED ?

Commas own.

I feel like there are a lot more in French than in English... I'm kind of used to put a lot of commas everywhere. However...

(08-07-2009, 01:19 PM)Surf314 link Wrote: [ -> ]I think it makes things harder to read and serves no purpose than to show you are educated. The writing should stand on its own. She thinks it shows you are educated and challenges the reader to get on your level. What say ye?

If commas are all you have to show you're educated, good luck getting on my level.



There is one thing that annoys me with commas, though.
Here's an example:

Honest is good looking, strong, sexy, and extremely macho.
WHY IS THIS                              ^  FUCKER HERE?
THERE IS NONE OF THAT IN FRENCH.

*flex*

(08-07-2009, 03:08 PM)CopulatingDuck link Wrote: [ -> ]Now it's been a long time since I was in an english class, and maybe I was taught differently, but I have to ask: isn't your punctuation a little bit off in bother those options?

Durp

(08-07-2009, 03:11 PM)Benit-DOG MOBILE-ini link Wrote: [ -> ]Commas own.

I feel like there are a lot more in French than in English... I'm kind of used to put a lot of commas everywhere. However...

[quote author=Surf314 link=topic=3418.msg104469#msg104469 date=1249669156]
I think it makes things harder to read and serves no purpose than to show you are educated. The writing should stand on its own. She thinks it shows you are educated and challenges the reader to get on your level. What say ye?

If commas are all you have to show you're educated, good luck getting on my level.



There is one thing that annoys me with commas, though.
Here's an example:

Honest is good looking, strong, sexy, and extremely macho.
WHY IS THIS                              ^   FUCKER HERE?
THERE IS NONE OF THAT IN FRENCH.
[/quote]

That used to be correct in English.  Times have become more relaxed when it comes to getting rid of that third comma.  Example:

Honest is good looking, strong, sexy, and extremely macho.
and
Honest is good looking, strong, sexy and extremely macho.

Both are currently accepted as being grammatically correct.

(08-07-2009, 03:18 PM)shadowcast link Wrote: [ -> ]Times have become more relaxed when it comes to getting rid of that third comma.  Example:

Honest is good looking, strong, sexy, and extremely macho.
and
Honest is good looking, strong, sexy and extremely macho.

Both are currently accepted as being grammatically correct.

When did that happen? I was taught to keep all of the commas, though I'm from Texas so lesson plans prepared from textbooks straight out of the 80's was par for the course.

(08-07-2009, 03:18 PM)SUPER MACHO MAN link Wrote: [ -> ]*flex*

[quote author=CopulatingDuck link=topic=3418.msg104504#msg104504 date=1249675682]
Now it's been a long time since I was in an english class, and maybe I was taught differently, but I have to ask: isn't your punctuation a little bit off in bother those options?

Durp
[/quote]

I hate you and this fucking ergonomic keyboard. I spent so much time respelling shit and of course I miss the blatantly obvious
............................................________
....................................,.-‘”...................``~.,
.............................,.-”...................................“-.,
.........................,/...............................................”:,
.....................,?......................................................\,
.................../...........................................................,}
................./......................................................,:`^`..}
.............../...................................................,:”........./
..............?.....__.........................................:`.........../
............./__.(.....“~-,_..............................,:`........../
.........../(_....”~,_........“~,_....................,:`........_/
..........{.._$;_......”=,_.......“-,_.......,.-~-,},.~”;/....}
...........((.....*~_.......”=-._......“;,,./`..../”............../
...,,,___.\`~,......“~.,....................`.....}............../
............(....`=-,,.......`........................(......;_,,-”
............/.`~,......`-...............................\....../\
.............\`~.*-,.....................................|,./.....\,__
,,_..........}.>-._\...................................|..............`=~-,
.....`=~-,_\_......`\,.................................\
...................`=~-,,.\,...............................\
................................`:,,...........................`\..............__
.....................................`=-,...................,%`>--==``
........................................_\..........._,-%.......`\
...................................,<`.._|_,-&``................`\

I think you are both wrong.

While it does show you are educated, that is not the purpose of such punctuation. It is, as far as I know, supposed to represent where pauses would be in actual conversation. If I were speaking with you, there would have been a pause right there where I put that comma. By including these representations of pauses the reader is supposed to get a better feel for the flow of what's printed.

Simpler sentences are not always better either. Some things can be said in one sentence rather than in several short little ones and it is often tiring or annoying to try and piece all the little tidbits together.


Also Shadowcast is right, both are currently grammatically acceptable.