(no subject)

[jebbypal]

OMG!!! My boss insists on doing my writing pet peeve.

A comma should always PRECEDE the word but. It's what I was taught. That goes doubly when you have a fragging long sentence.

*beats head* I am over here being ashamed to have my name on these atrocities of grammar.

ETA I've also found about three errors that glare at me (one of which is a frelling disagreement I can't change her mind about).

ETA2 She apparently also has a jihaad against semicolons. *growls* She's perfect at tenses, but how the frell can she be so incompetent at punctuation. It burns, my precious, it burns my eyes.

Comments

[deannahoak.livejournal.com]

Always? Not always...

He was tempted to get a pet dog but, knowing her reaction to dander, decided against it.

There's nothing wrong with that. The comma would precede "but" if the "but" joined two independent clauses.

[jebbypal]

Yes...but she never uses a comma on either side.

And it wouldn't get to me so much if she hadn't given it to me to edit over for mistakes and I've multiple times added the commas in on the copy I gave back to her.

[mona1347.livejournal.com]

*shakes head* Not always, even in the case of "conjunctioning" two independent clauses.

Ind. Clause = Something that would be a full sentence on it's own, without the conjunction of "and" "or" "but". The comma to separate conjunctioned independent clauses is, "officially" optional. It's a stylistic choice.

STILL. LACK OF PUNCTUATION KNOWLEDGE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

[jebbypal]

It's a stylistic choice.

This I know. But I was taught that way so it's not a choice --- IT'S A WAY OF LIFE.

*cuddles my grammar nazi*

[mona1347.livejournal.com]

Well YEAH. *cuddles back*

Which is why, to touch on one of MY pet peeves, the OXFORD COMMA IS THE DEVIL. Because I was taught it was BAD. Or maybe okay. Depending on the context and whether it makes things more or less clear.

The really irritating part is that you've fixed it numerous times and she keeps ignoring you. Also that in a long-ass, twisty, scientific-writing sentence, just put the damn comma in there. Make yourself more clear for crying out loud; it's not like you can't use the help.

*sniffs imperiously and adjusts jaunty tilt of grammar nazi hat*

[jebbypal]

so what's the oxford comma? (i don't remember the fancy names of my punctuation, just what all the teachers taught).

[jebbypal]

Ohhh, wikipedia to the rescue.

So you want to hit me when you beta things for me and I use the Oxford comma? Again, I blame my english teachers (who were all scarily consistent in the use of commas despite coming from several different generations). Though it was my 10th grade english teacher that beat the "when in doubt in regards to a comma, DON'T" into me. You should send him a card. Because I frequently want to send poisontaster to him for a few lessons. I love everything she writes, but omg, comma happy.

[mona1347.livejournal.com]

HEE.

...she says while now having noticed at least two punctuation errors in the above.

YAY WINE.

[jebbypal]

it's lj, punctuation is optional. :) as long as you don't devolve into text messaging spelling.