Twocvbloke- Dyson

[jmurray01]

Yeah, I could have just ignored it, but if I make a mistake I like to correct it, or at least acknowledge it failing that.

It annoys me when people can't even string a sentence together that doesn't require some degree of deciphering, as it doesn't take much thought to think about what you're saying/typing and get it grammatically correct, or at least as correct as your knowledge permits.

 

[vintagerepairer]

I think that for a lot of people, writing is not something which comes naturally. I have always been so very lucky in that respect, but I fail in many other areas, such as mathematics. I do not get annoyed or offended by poor written communication if it comes on a personal level, such as a private letter or a message on a public forum. However I do not expect it from a business and more and more these days I see professional publications and websites containing errors. There are people and services available who can attend to such matters prior to publication.

 

[jmurray01]

I, like you Benny, have good English skills but not so good mathematical skills!

I can do mental maths (every day stuff) but am hopeless with long division and anything like that.

When I get the free weekly paper through the letterbox every Wednesday, I always see a few grammatical errors in it, even without looking for them.

Normally it is just something like a comma prior to an "and" or the misuse of inverted commas (for example, using an inverted comma in the word "its" to make it possessive, which isn't correct - "it's" always means "it is", and nothing more!)

Anyway, off I go again on one of my long winded preaches!

 

[jmurray01]

I also see a lot of grammatical errors and discrepancies in fiction books I read, which annoys me as you expect a book which has been edited to also be corrected to a high standard. It seems not.

 

[twocvbloke]

I know a proofreader via another forum, and let's just say she's never out of work...

 

[parwaz786]

twocvbloke

Thank you

 

[vintagerepairer]

Well in respect of the use of commas prior to an 'and', opinion is divided. You see, the idea of a comma is of course is to suggest that the reader needs to take a pause. As such, the author may well decide if a pause is needed between the word before an 'and', and the word 'and'. Like I did just then. You may not like it, but I do it all the time, and neither is right or wrong really. The other sort of comma which causes debate is the serial comma. This type of comma is used in lists, and many people say that the last part of the list of words should not need a comma between the last but one word and the final word, given that the word 'and' is used between them. For instance, "The vacuum cleaner required a new belt, bag and filters".

Personally, I would always write a comma, making the sentence ""The vacuum cleaner required a new belt, bag, and filters" as the bag and the filters are not directly connected to each other. Unlike in the following sentence "For dinner we had mushy peas, pickled egg, fish and chips", though of course that whole sentence is badly worded and could be written much better. I am just trying to think of an example.

Without the serial comma, I often read things incorrectly. However, even with the comma, the chances are the sentence I am reading could have been written better in general.

 

[earthling177]

&lt&ltWouldn't the sentence "I want to put a hyphen between the words Fish
and And and And and Chips in my Fish-And-Chips sign" have been clearer
if quotation marks had been placed before Fish, and between Fish and
and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and And, and And and
and, and and and Chips, as well as after Chips?&gt&gt
-- Swiped from a fortune.

;-)

 

[jmurray01]

Yes, I see what you're saying Benny, but I've always thought that a comma prior to an "and" is redundant, but I see your argument for it to be correct.

 

[Organboy1974]

comma before 'and'...

is also called the Oxford Comma.




http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/what-is-the-oxford-comma

 

[vintagerepairer]

That is correct