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On May 12 2009 00:52 Elemenope wrote:Show nested quote +When a conjunctive adverb comes in the middle of a sentence, set if off with commas preceding and following.
If you really want to prevent your pipes from freezing, however, you should insulate them before the winter comes. Why don't you use a semi-colon before the however? I always learned that you do =\ It depends on the context. If the parts before and after however could each stand on their own as sentences, then you would use a semi-colon. In this case, however, since the whole thing is one unsplittable sentence, "however" is set off with commas.
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You know, it's really bad form when you make a huge blog about grammar and spelling and your first sentence is a train wreck.
This is for the common TeamLiquid user that writes his stuff without paying attention to it, or because he never bothered to learn how to write properly. Scratch "because he." Or just rewrite the whole thing since it's pretty AWK!
Also, if you want to talk REAL English, it's really bad form to introduce your work with something that not only insults the reader, but makes it sound like what you have to say is going to be really, really boring.
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^let alone when you make a huge blog about proper comma usage (and add a link at the bottom to another huge blog of yours about proper semi-colon usage) and the very next comma you use is an erroneous substitution for a semi-colon.
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What we learned in school: When you list shit, and when it "feels" right to take a break in the sentence while saying it.
What we learned on TL: 50 pages or something about rules, TLDR.
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Germany / USA16648 Posts
tl dr is unacceptable. If you don't want to read then don't post, very simple.
Thanks for this EsX_Raptor, I'll try to learn something from it, step by step.
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On May 13 2009 23:45 Carnac wrote: tl dr is unacceptable. If you don't want to read then don't post, very simple.
Thanks for this EsX_Raptor, I'll try to learn something from it, step by step. Not to be anal about it, but if you really cared enough to read an entire discourse on commas, then you might want to know that your first comma is in error. It should be a period, or, if you want to push it, a semi-colon. (That falls into the independent clause category.)
If I would go around correcting every comma splice I saw in a forum, I would never be doing anything else (and everyone would hate me). I'm kind of surprised that anyone even cares. On the other hand, TeamLiquid has a lot of non-native English speakers (who use their second or third language with a fluency that I'm envious of), and I have the feeling that non-native speakers/writers tend to be more punctilious about grammar. So, although on first impression the OP struck me as condescending and unnecessary, I must revoke that opinion, since people find it useful.
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Thanks for this post, learning more about english (or your 1st language's) grammar is really important if you're trying to learn another language, I've found. <---- not sure that last comma is right, actually
It's really hard to understand explanations of complex grammar structures if you don't understand your own language's structures (or why they work the way they do).
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On the internet a lot of people use commas to mark natural pauses that occur as part of the natural rhythm of speech, rather than in the highly formalized way illustrated in the OP. I think both are acceptable as long as they're used in the correct domains.
This is a great OP; clearly and simply sets out a lot of the rules and conventions. I can see why many of the rules are there, to aid understanding and prevent confusion. Some of them, however, I'm finding hard to see the reasoning behind them, particularly when they contradict common usage. What book are these rules from, and what is their rationale?
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