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Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

576.0. "Commas in conjunctions" by SAACT0::SAKOVICH_A (Keep RIGHT except to PASS!) Thu Oct 27 1988 01:12

    Okay, maybe this has been hashed out in another topic, but having
    failed to find it (with DIR/TITLE and keywords), I'll pose my poser
    here...
    
    What are your feelings about the placement of commas in conjunctions?
    For example:
    
    	He said this, that, and the other thing...
    
    or
    
    	He said this, that and the other thing.
    
    Personally, I abhor the latter.  Consider the following:
                
    	I saw this, that and it or them.
    
    Which could be clarified through the use of proper punctuation to be
    either 
    
    	I saw this, that, and it or them.
    
    or
    
    	I saw this, that and it, or them.
    
    So, why do people leave out that ever essential comma?  I could
    just scream!

    Unless you feel otherwise...
    
    Aaron
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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576.1a, b, and cAITG::DERAMODaniel V. {AITG,ZFC}:: D'EramoThu Oct 27 1988 01:278
>>        He said this, that, and the other thing...
>>   or
>>        He said this, that and the other thing.
>>    Personally, I abhor the latter.  

     I [also?] prefer the former.
     
     Dan
576.2KAOFS::S_BROOKHere today and here again tomorrowThu Oct 27 1988 02:093
    The comma represents a pause in speach and therefore seems
    appropriate.  There are always exceptions and this is a good place
    for someone to put one forward ! Letsby Avenue
576.3Use no commas before and,but,or,nor and however...LAMHRA::WHORLOWPrussiking up the rope of life!Thu Oct 27 1988 04:0818
576.4Here a comma, there a comma...IOSG::LAWMNormal service will NOT be resumed...Thu Oct 27 1988 14:1613
    
    re: .3
    
    I think I read a discussion about this somewhere else.  As far as
    I remember, it turned out to be a matter of style whether you use
    a comma before the `and'.
    
    I might be wrong though, as I have a tendency to use too many commas
    anyway!
    
    Mat.
    *:o)
    
576.5the other conferenceEAGLE1::EGGERSTom,293-5358,VAX&MIPS ArchitectureThu Oct 27 1988 16:391
    Se also JOKUR::grammar topics 6 and 106.
576.6By their commas ye shall know themCLOSET::T_PARMENTERTongue in cheek, fist in air!Thu Oct 27 1988 21:1614
    
    The title is an old, true saying.
    
    Commas function both as breathing spots and as sentence stitchers.
    This is utterly baffling to the crowd who think that sentences are
    equations.
    
    The equation crowd doesn't like the comma before the conjunction,
    but most professional writers prefer to place it there.  The reason
    is so we can write sentences like
    
    	The racecars were red, green and white, and orange.
    
    The other reason is that writers like to put the comma there.
576.7Otay, Buckwheat!SAACT0::SAKOVICH_AKeep RIGHT except to PASS!Thu Oct 27 1988 23:279
576.8the lonely commaWARDER::SACKFIELDkeep on trucking ....Tue Dec 20 1988 14:4510
    My English teacher always said that commas get lonely - and you
    should put them in pairs to keep each other company.
    
    I am a firm believer in using commas, semi-colons etc. as I think
    it's sheer lasiness that's causing our language to decay.

    
    Regards
    Janice Sackfield
    Warrington UK
576.9La"z"iness........WHEEL::SWINIARSKINANcy--*NANSKI*--SwiniarSKIWed Feb 15 1989 21:019
    Yes Janice, I agree that our language is decaying.
    However, in America,  we spell it with a "Z"
    "laziness". (-:
    
    Is it different in the U.K.?  I'm not being sarcastic or anything. I
    just couldn't find the word lasiness in my "American Heritage Dictionary"
    
    "Nanski"