http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838 The NewsBiscuit Community en-US Wed, 22 May 2013 16:09:45 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/search.php http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-81085 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:38:56 +0000 The Paper Ostrich 81085@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>"The people who have been most influential in my life are my parents, Mary Evans and the Pope."</p> <p>On the Oxford comma, I am in the "Not always, but sometimes" camp. (No sniggering.) In such a language as ours there's no reason to be unclear. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-81072 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:43:10 +0000 Oxbridge 81072@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Having a comma after the last but one on a list is an Americanism, though like a lot of Americanisms it is becoming commoner in Britain. It's still wrong and the end of civilisation as we know it, mind.</p> <p>Full stops in quotes depends on context. If the whole sentence is in quotes, full stop should be inside it, if not, not. e.g. He said he was "going out and would be back later".</p> <p>50 guineas, please. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-81065 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:10:38 +0000 writinginbsl 81065@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Apostrophes (both omissive and posessive) are completely pointless.<br /> I have argued this for many years and nearly convinced my mother once.<br /> I have managed to discuss this with many of my students over the years, as well as the value of the abolition of capital letters. We speak with 'One Voice'. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-81059 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:47:54 +0000 rikkor 81059@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Well, semi-terrible. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-81057 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:34:31 +0000 charlies_hat 81057@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Is anyone else having terrible trouble with their colon? </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-81056 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:33:10 +0000 Des Custard 81056@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I believe that the correct UK treatment is to close a quote before the full stop but the correct U.S. treatment is to include the period in the quote. And there appears to be a greater tendency to use periods for abbreviations in the USA than in the UK, although not for 'USA' itself. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-81054 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:21:42 +0000 Vertically Challenged Giant 81054@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I struggle with punctuation. Sometimes I'll write a really long sentence and just write it as it comes to me but then read it back and think it seems a bit long to not have any commas in it and should probably have some to break it up a bit and then I panic and just, throw random; punctuation in hoping that it makes it all: better. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80908 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 21:54:13 +0000 brownpaperreporter 80908@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I think all the redundant commas have risen to become apostrophes in plurals ....</p> <p>Fish, Chips and Pea's ...</p> <p>Dont get me started </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80905 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 21:46:01 +0000 rikkor 80905@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Wayland, I like that rule. Thanks.</p> <p>Jeni, we learned commas the same way, now it is old-fashioned. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80903 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 21:41:07 +0000 brownpaperreporter 80903@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Abso-bloody-lutely. In our day we had lessons to teach us how to address an envelope</p> <p>And if you used the abbreviation for Road as Rd (which was acceptable) it had to be Rd. and a letter address had to end with a ,- so Rd.,</p> <p>The flap was always on the right.. left... right. Shit cant remember</p> <p>Have I ever used any of this? Have I chuff .. but I remember being taught but Nanny State pupils just seem to remember to forget ... </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80900 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 20:37:11 +0000 The All New Jeni B 80900@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>See, you just can't teach kids that kind of life lesson these days bpr.</p> <p>Bloody Nanny state. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80899 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 20:36:35 +0000 waylandsmithy 80899@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I like it when you get into rows about formal and informal English. And I'm happy to start a sentence with a conjunctive, and use commas before them to create a pause in speech. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80897 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 20:31:01 +0000 brownpaperreporter 80897@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>My English teacher told me that the Oxford comma was acceptable before an "and" so ",and" was OK</p> <p>1. Never knew it wasnt<br /> 2. Having been brought up in Oxford the only Oxford comma I had ever known was a small minibus a "Commer". My Uncle Malc had one, it was great, bench seats and no seat belts, ideal for throwing kids around and to be told "wouldnt happen if you were sat down, like I told you" </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80894 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:31:04 +0000 The All New Jeni B 80894@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>...but I've never been to me... </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80893 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:27:05 +0000 waylandsmithy 80893@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I've been to Basildon and Wigan, too. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80892 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:21:38 +0000 The All New Jeni B 80892@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I will sleep well tonight, knowing that there is a proper name for my use of commas.</p> <p>If a WoM who went to Oxford and Cambridge wins WoM 5 times, does the site become theirs to keep, like Brazil and the World Cup? </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80891 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:18:02 +0000 rickwestwell 80891@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Perfect, wayland. I bet you went to Oxford and Cambridge. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80889 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:10:40 +0000 waylandsmithy 80889@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Yeah, punctuation around quotation marks is tricky, I'm not used to it yet. Are they the same rules as for parentheses? "A complete sentence being quoted has the punctuation within the quote." But if the quote is part of a sentence, "the punctuation falls outside the quotation marks".</p> <p>Is that right? </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80888 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:10:23 +0000 rickwestwell 80888@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Rikkor - definitely inside. Jeni - isn't that called the "Oxford comma"? I think you have to use them sometimes. If only we had a WOM who went to both Oxford and Cambridge, they'd sort us out! </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80887 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:03:19 +0000 The All New Jeni B 80887@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I was taught to do that too Rikkor.<br /> And also taught that if you were writing a sentence such as, "The school bag contained books, pens and pencils." that there should be a comma after 'pens'.<br /> I was surprised to find that children are told this is unnecessary now. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80884 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:58:12 +0000 rikkor 80884@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>In the US now, "educated" people are aware that apostrophes are necessary at times. So, they've just taken to sprinkling them here and there among the words. Much easier than learning the rules. </p> <p>The rule I can never get right is where to put a period (your full stop) when a sentence ends in a quoted bit or parentetical bit. Inside or out? </p> <p>When I was a lad (think velvet beauty marks and lace jabots), a sentence would end in two periods if the last word was the abbreviation etc.. I don't think anyone does that now. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80879 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:44:55 +0000 rickwestwell 80879@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>But you didn't see the apostrophes before, Rikkor - definitely reminiscent of the worst excesses of the French Revolution... </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80878 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:42:21 +0000 rickwestwell 80878@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Apostrophes much better now, ta.</p> <p>And it crossed my mind that darkbill might actually be Jonathan Ross, in which case don't bother about my other point, either. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80877 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:40:11 +0000 rikkor 80877@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>My word! This site has reached a level of bitchiness only seen among ancient Maria Callas acolytes knocking back Pink Squirrels while arguing around the piano bar. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80866 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 15:04:16 +0000 Qoxiivi 80866@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>"Mind you, while I'm being annoying, sort out your apostrophes..."</p> <p>Glad someone else brought that up... </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=28838#post-80864 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:38:27 +0000 rickwestwell 80864@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p><blockquote>‘We’re dealing here with a woman who, even if she told you herself that she only had the one leg, you’d still do a quick count to be on the safe side.</blockquote></p> <p>It's a great joke, and Ross did it very well ages ago. :-(<br /> I'm sure the Darkbills didn't know, sorry to be the bearer of bad news.</p> <p>Mind you, while I'm being annoying, sort out your apostrophes... </p>