Proper use of the English language

[*dave*]

Okay, explain how this works.

1 "We have got too many commas."
2 "We've got too many commas."
3 "We have too many commas."
4 "We've too many commas."
3 and 4 seem correct, but 1 and 2 are really the same and more commonly used by everyone from the pres to journalists.
We've, I've and you've

 

[Hoomi]

At the risk of further hijacking, I just happen to have my copy of Strunk and White right here. According to The Elements of Style, the comma should precede "and" in that usage.

2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.

Thus write,

red, white, and blue
gold, silver, and copper
He opened the letter, read it, and made a note of its contents.

This comma is often referred to as the "serial" comma.

In the names of business firms the last comma is usually omitted. Follow the usage of the individual firm.

Brown, Shipley and Co.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated.

If we followed common usage on written English, we would omit a majority of the punctuation, grammar, and spelling rules as well. I would really hate to see the majority of our posts here end up looking like they were texted by a bunch of impatient Junior High students, though.

 

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Split from an other thread.
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[Cave Diver]

"When my friends talk about World of Warcraft, it seems like their speaking jibberish".

Pssssttt.... while we're correcting sentence structure, grammar, etc. that sentence should say "they're" not "their."

 

[mts0628]

Pssssttt.... while we're correcting sentence structure, grammar, etc. that sentence should say "they're" not "their."

Sharp eye!

I get annoyed when people drop commas when using "and", as in: I bought peas, carrots and tomatoes. I would greatly prefer it that everyone used the traditional: I bought peas, carrots, and tomatoes (even though it is common practice for newspapers to omit the comma preceding "and"). Can we discuss this practice?

Hey MarKon:

AMEN! The comma is actually called a Harvard or Serial comma and some use it but some do not. I personally think the lack of use is because of laziness but then again maybe it's because writers were not taught about the importance of this powerful, professional, and proper punctuation. Either way, those who chose not to use it or who never learned to use it are missing out and readers like you and me can catch their errors and just dream of a Writer's Utopia one day. Ahhh.

To digress a bit, I have become extremely annoyed with the improperly used term, begs the question. I have yet to see or hear its proper usage and those tossing this phrase around as if it supposed to mean, "the question really really needs to be asked", are supposed to be professionals in journalism (but that may be the problem- it's a Philosophy principle). I have not seen the term used at all on the ScubaBoard and I guess this is what keeps me coming back. So in that respect, thank you posters!

With kindest regards,
Thomas

PS: this post was merely in humor but I do stand behind my annoyances.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Okay, explain how this works.

1 "We have got too many commas."
2 "We've got too many commas."
3 "We have too many commas."
4 "We've too many commas."
3 and 4 seem correct, but 1 and 2 are really the same and more commonly used by everyone from the pres to journalists.
We've, I've and you've

#1-#3 look OK to me. #1 = #2. #1 and #2 indicate present perfect tense, whereas #3 indicates present tense.
I generally only use contractions involving "have" (I've, we've, you've) when "have" serves as an auxiliary verb with the past participle of a different verb. This construction forms the perfect aspect. Conjugation of the verb "to have" denotes the tense of the overall construction: present perfect, pluperfect, or future perfect.
In #4, "have" serves as the primary verb; thus, I would avoid the use of the contraction. If I wanted to denote present tense, then I would use #3 instead of #4.

I hope that this clears up your grammatical quandary.

 

[Slonda828]

Pssssttt.... while we're correcting sentence structure, grammar, etc. that sentence should say "they're" not "their."

Psst, you should realize that the sentence to which you are referring is a quotation from a web site...a direct quotation. This means it was transcribed exactly, errors and all. That is why there are quotation marks around it.

I still love you though man.

 

[Rhone Man]

Don't make the mistake of assuming everyone uses American English. British English has slightly different punctuation rules, as well as employing the correct spelling.

I heartily recommend Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots and Leaves for a humorous look at punctuation.

 

[letterboy]

Psst, you should realize that the sentence to which you are referring is a quotation from a web site...a direct quotation. This means it was transcribed exactly, errors and all. That is why there are quotation marks around it.

I still love you though man.

Are you in the Infantry or the Cav?

 

[Hoomi]

To digress a bit, I have become extremely annoyed with the improperly used term, begs the question. I have yet to see or hear its proper usage and those tossing this phrase around as if it supposed to mean, "the question really really needs to be asked", are supposed to be professionals in journalism (but that may be the problem- it's a Philosophy principle). I have not seen the term used at all on the ScubaBoard and I guess this is what keeps me coming back. So in that respect, thank you posters!

This begs the question, why does it annoy you so much?



Alas, I don't believe the proper usage of that phrase is addressed in The Elements of Style.

As to "professionals" in journalism, from what I have read in newspapers and other mainstream media outlets, the ability to form a coherent sentence with proper syntax and punctuation is no longer a requirement for obtaining a Journalism Degree or job.

When my daughter and I took an Advanced Fiction course at the local college, we were both amazed at what some of these "advanced" students didn't know. If this was the advanced class, I would have hated to read anything by the remedial class. We had some terrific writers in the class, and some that needed to go back and study their basic composition textbooks.