On Wed, March 5, 2008 2:03 am, Ralph Shumaker wrote: > Todd Walton wrote: >> On Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 12:24 PM, David Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> Both forms, 'can not' and 'cannot' are valid, they just mean slight >>> different things. >>> >> >> And "into" "in to" and "log on" "logon" and of course "log in" and >> "login". They mean slightly different things and it's not always >> apparent which one to use. >> >> A grammar rule that gets me is using commas. I use them like Arnold >> Schwarzenegger uses bullets on the Predator, and the result is usually >> as grisly. I always opt to make a list of three elements, parts, or >> sections comma-ed all the way. Most people put a comma after the >> first element, but not the second. >>
1. Commas that do not improve readability are candidates for deletion. A comma is not a synanym for a pause in speech -- their sole use is to improve readability. 2. Use commas to separate independent clauses separated by "and" or "but" if the subject changes. Do not use commas if the subject remains the same. Anna picked up the book and the pencil. Anna picked up the book, and Jack picked up the pencil. 3. Use commas to separate a series of three or more parallel elements when it improves readability. The last comma may (and often should) be left out if it does not improve readability, especially if it might tempt the reader to vocalize a pause where none is needed. If commas doo not improve readability in these situations, follow Rule 1 and leave them out. I like baseball, long walks on the beach, and German beer. I like baseball, football and basketball. Three cheers for the red white and blue. 4. In a series of three or more that contains internal commas in the elements, use semicolons to separate the elements. This frequently occurs after a colon. The three indications of a myocardial infarction are: radiating pain in the neck, chest, or arm; profuse sweating; and elevated liver enzymes. Note in the above example that the colon after "are" isn't really necessary. I'm sure there are other guidelines that I'm forgetting. In general when I did this for a living, we followed the Chicago Manual of Style, which is a no-nonsense font of good advice. http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Manual-Style-Essential-Publishers/dp/0226103897/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204738652&sr=1-2 ~Lan, the former copy editor > > I put commas after each element, no matter how many element (except less > than three, of course). But I also tend to put commas any place where I > would have a pause in speaking the same thing. > You're probably not making a lot of mistakes, but it's a simplistic rule that will lead you astray eventually. > Sometimes, I use parenthesis to quarantine elements of a long sentence, > particularly elements that are merely there for clarification and are > not referred to in following sentences, basically, parts that can be > left out and only lose clarity. Sometimes, I'm reading a sentence that > is so long (written by others) that I cannot follow what it's saying. > So I have to identify the basic elements of the sentence: subject, > verb, and object. Then I can go back and read the entire sentence as > written and finally be able to understand it. > Parentheses, em-dashes, and elipses can all serve this noble purpose. I save parentheses for the _really_ parenthetical thoughts. Writing is an art very similar to coding, but the target processor is subtle and not very deterministic. -- Lan Barnes SCM Analyst Linux Guy Tcl/Tk Enthusiast Biodiesel Brewer -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
