I recently borrowed a book from the San Miguel public library; About Face, a mystery novel by Donna Leon. As I read, I noticed there were tiny blotches scattered about on each page. At first I thought it was a cheap edition, and the printer had over-inked the plates or something – before realizing that the kind of printing I was imagining hasn’t existed since about 1885. When I looked closer, I saw that the blotches appeared only where there were commas in the text. For example, in the sentence – “The family had come from Friuli some time in the last century, had prospered during the Fascist era, and had become even richer during the great boom of the sixties” – the comma after the word “era” had been blotched out. Later, in, “Coffee came, and then a waiter moved around the table pushing a wheeled tray,” the comma after “came” was blotched.
I guess the Attorney General is the AG for the United States, plural. But there is no such reasoning behind States Attorney. A few years ago, in Canada, the government went around and took the apostrophes out of all place names: hence Smiths Falls, Chaffeys Lock, etc. Why? To save paint? Actually, I probably wouldn't object so strongly if that were the reason.
Especially with commas, I find. Too much personal taste can be chaotic, punctuation-wise. The most important rule m is consistency: as long as you're consistent throughout a text, you can get away with a lot. Thanks for your comment.
I really enjoyed this. I used to regard myself as fussy—and right—about punctuation. But now that I do some copyediting for a living, I realise that so much of this comes down to personal taste or organisational style guides. And I have become a lot more forgiving, and hope for forgiveness in return. Perhaps I am a reformed Stickler.
Reminds me of the grammar lesson we were taught Down Under that explains the vital difference between ‘I helped my Uncle Jack off a horse’ vs ‘I helped my uncle jack off a horse’.
When my in-car message-dictating function asks me to name the recipient of the message, each time it asks me 'To who?' And each time, I have to correct it by replying out loud 'To WHOM'.
I like commas; I like semicolons; periods too. All are necessary and have a place in good writing. I enjoyed your piece; it was both thoughtful and amusing.
Thanks, Heather. And I'm glad you put a comma after "post."
I guess the Attorney General is the AG for the United States, plural. But there is no such reasoning behind States Attorney. A few years ago, in Canada, the government went around and took the apostrophes out of all place names: hence Smiths Falls, Chaffeys Lock, etc. Why? To save paint? Actually, I probably wouldn't object so strongly if that were the reason.
Especially with commas, I find. Too much personal taste can be chaotic, punctuation-wise. The most important rule m is consistency: as long as you're consistent throughout a text, you can get away with a lot. Thanks for your comment.
I really enjoyed this. I used to regard myself as fussy—and right—about punctuation. But now that I do some copyediting for a living, I realise that so much of this comes down to personal taste or organisational style guides. And I have become a lot more forgiving, and hope for forgiveness in return. Perhaps I am a reformed Stickler.
Yes, using correct grammar is clearer, and much safer.
Ha! Those commas make the word "almost" so much more significant. Not unnecessary at all.
Eats Sticklers, and Leaves. Great post, Wayne. I'm a fan of the Oxford, but detest unnecessary commas in, almost, all other situations. ;-)
My son, in his copyediting days, had a semicolon tattoed on his arm.
Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti takes me through Venice as if I live there. Her commas never send up red flags for me.
Reminds me of the grammar lesson we were taught Down Under that explains the vital difference between ‘I helped my Uncle Jack off a horse’ vs ‘I helped my uncle jack off a horse’.
Enjoyed reading your article - but I’m
stick(l)ing to my belief in the Oxford comma!!
When my in-car message-dictating function asks me to name the recipient of the message, each time it asks me 'To who?' And each time, I have to correct it by replying out loud 'To WHOM'.
I like commas; I like semicolons; periods too. All are necessary and have a place in good writing. I enjoyed your piece; it was both thoughtful and amusing.
Perfectly punctilious and somewhat commaplicated.
Thank, you Wayne.
Great post, so true and entertaining