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Pretty much stop teaching cursive in school...

 kronk wrote:
, , , , , chameleon.

They come and go. They come and go-o-o-o.

*slow golf clap*

 curran12 wrote:
So, the thrust of this guy's case against commas, if I am following is:

1. It's HAARRRDD
2. You look like a dork

Slow clap, sir. I actually am a writer/editor and this is so unbelievably full of crap that I don't whether to laugh or cry.

What kind of professional writer/editor makes a blunder this big?!? Huh?

I'm all for the dropping of commas and thoroughly enjoyed the article. However; I am in agreement for the use of semi colons. Either way people will continue to use bad grammar/spelling and people will then mock them for it. I'm sure I messed something in my post up and someone will mock me like I am mocking curran.

You know what this article reads like? It reads very much like the articles the illiterati were cacking out everywhere when SMS messaging first took off that predicted we'd all be writing and even talking in textspeak within the decade.

Apart from that annoying person everyone knows who insists on saying "lawl" as if it's a word instead of, you know, just laughing or chuckling like a normal person, that was bollocks. I'd wager this is bollocks too.

Poppycock!

Commas allow for one to read a sentence and understand how it would sound when spoken. Mass confusion can arise without them.

Example:

I love to eat, children. To denote that I am telling children to whom I'm speaking that I love to eat.

I love to eat children. This denotes that I enjoy the taste of children and the nutritional value they might provide. VERY DIFFERENT.

There are myriad examples of the misunderstandings that can occur by the simple omission of proper punctuation.

 Aerethan wrote:
Poppycock!

Commas allow for one to read a sentence and understand how it would sound when spoken. Mass confusion can arise without them.

Example:

I love to eat, children. To denote that I am telling children to whom I'm speaking that I love to eat.

I love to eat children. This denotes that I enjoy the taste of children and the nutritional value they might provide. VERY DIFFERENT.

There are myriad examples of the misunderstandings that can occur by the simple omission of proper punctuation.

What if you mean both?

I mean, I guess you could say, "I love to eat children, children", but that seems repetitive.

 kronk wrote:
, , , , , chameleon.

They come and go. They come and go-o-o-o.

Took me while.

I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT COMMAS ARE USEFUL BECAUSE IT IS POSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND THE TEXT WRITTEN WITHOUT THEM AND ALSO LOWERCASE LETTERS ARE UNREQUIRED FOR FULL COMPREHENSION OF THE WRITTEN WORD EVERYONE SHOULD WRITE LIKE ONE OF THE MORE CONFUSING PASSAGES IN AN IAIN M BANKS NOVEL TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER END SENTENCE AND POST NO WAIT DAKKA STOP TELLING ME NOT TO POST THIS I AM DOING IT FOR PERFECTLY VALID REASONS END SENTENCE AGAIN

The only good commie is a dead commie.

On a brighter note, if we got rid of commas, all those illiterate college sports players might have an easier time being slightly less illiterate.

That said, I love my commas.

To bring my posts a little more on-topic, I agree with the theory of eliminating commas, but not some of the practice.

For instance, we often have to medically induce commas to save a person's life; would they be excepted from this rule? I understand that more people who would've fallen into a comma and been harmed by such a process would be saved, but does that really deserve a blanket ban?

So all the idiots on Dakka who just piss me off because they can't be bothered to insert a single punctuation mark into their posts are actually ahead of the times?

I wish people would use commas more often, instead of abusing the ellipsis.

 Avatar 720 wrote:
To bring my posts a little more on-topic, I agree with the theory of eliminating commas, but not some of the practice.

For instance, we often have to medically induce commas to save a person's life; would they be excepted from this rule? I understand that more people who would've fallen into a comma and been harmed by such a process would be saved, but does that really deserve a blanket ban?

Ahhh, just another way modern society makes me feel old and superior.

I don't really see how there's a debate here at all. Regardless of whether or not poorly-educated people understand how to use punctuation correctly, removing the comma would require a drastic change in written communication.

Just not using punctuation text-message style (and by that, I mean the style of those people too lazy to use punctuation in text messages. Really, is the message you're sending so urgent that you can't take the extra 5 seconds to add punctuation?) is not the answer. The above-mentioned uncle-and-horse example is one of my favourite examples of why this is so.

Written English.....will be joining Latin soon I believe

Following Cormac McCarthy I've left my punctuation dead in a godless desert, worm-scaled eyes newly discipled to the action of the spheres, said no one ever and anon.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 insaniak wrote:

Really, is the message you're sending so urgent that you can't take the extra 5 seconds to add punctuation?.

pants poop hurry meeting nownownow



It's the 'for sale: baby shoes, never worn' of text messages. It tells a story.

I bet "you're" dies before the comma. I see even otherwise intelligent people using "your" instead.

I was going to provide an example, but trying to do so hurt my brain.

 Seaward wrote:
I bet "you're" dies before the comma. I see even otherwise intelligent people using "your" ...

To be fair, I suspect that one's as much the result of predictive text and lack of proofreading as of poor understanding of which to use...

 insaniak wrote:

 Seaward wrote:
I bet "you're" dies before the comma. I see even otherwise intelligent people using "your" ...

To be fair, I suspect that one's as much the result of predictive text and lack of proofreading as of poor understanding of which to use...

That might be a valid explanation on mobile platforms, but "you're" started dying as soon as email came into existence.

 Jihadin wrote:
Written English.....will be joining Latin soon I believe

Unlikely given that we are writing more than ever before. It will evolve, but it's not going to die.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Seaward wrote:

 insaniak wrote:

 Seaward wrote:
I bet "you're" dies before the comma. I see even otherwise intelligent people using "your" ...

To be fair, I suspect that one's as much the result of predictive text and lack of proofreading as of poor understanding of which to use...

That might be a valid explanation on mobile platforms, but "you're" started dying as soon as email came into existence.

Your/You're is part of the natural evolution of language. Things change. I'm sure at some point people were getting annoyed at these lazy people using you're rather than you are. Same with the silent e in words like Olde and the loss of genitive case in English. That's a completely different situation to the way you have to mangle sentences to avoid commas. Commas make it easier to write, not harder, where as you're and your are two words that are pronounced the same and the incorrect use dose not lead to any confusion.

 Steve steveson wrote:
you're and your are two words that are pronounced the same

If you're pronouncing them wrong, sure.

and the incorrect use dose not lead to any confusion.

Now that's definitely not true. I immediately become confused when someone uses "your" when they meant "you're." "Is this a human I'm talking to, or some sort of lesser primate given a keyboard?" "This person claims to be a high school graduate, how is this possible?" Examples of my confusion.

My boss, who makes 100 grand a year, posted a memo with the words 'should of' in it. I circled it and corrected it as a contraction like a grade 4 teacher would of . . .

 Steve steveson wrote:

 Jihadin wrote:
Written English.....will be joining Latin soon I believe

Unlikely given that we are writing more than ever before. It will evolve, but it's not going to die.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Seaward wrote:

 insaniak wrote:

 Seaward wrote:
I bet "you're" dies before the comma. I see even otherwise intelligent people using "your" ...

To be fair, I suspect that one's as much the result of predictive text and lack of proofreading as of poor understanding of which to use...

That might be a valid explanation on mobile platforms, but "you're" started dying as soon as email came into existence.

Your/You're is part of the natural evolution of language. Things change. I'm sure at some point people were getting annoyed at these lazy people using you're rather than you are. Same with the silent e in words like Olde and the loss of genitive case in English. That's a completely different situation to the way you have to mangle sentences to avoid commas. Commas make it easier to write, not harder, where as you're and your are two words that are pronounced the same and the incorrect use dose not lead to any confusion.

Isn't your very last sentence a comma splice? I could be wrong as I'm definately not an English major but those are 2 independent clauses are they not? Therefore sort of proving the point commas make it harder to write?

Edit:If I'm wrong my apologies.

 SlaveToDorkness wrote:

 Avatar 720 wrote:
To bring my posts a little more on-topic, I agree with the theory of eliminating commas, but not some of the practice.

For instance, we often have to medically induce commas to save a person's life; would they be excepted from this rule? I understand that more people who would've fallen into a comma and been harmed by such a process would be saved, but does that really deserve a blanket ban?

Ahhh, just another way modern society makes me feel old and superior.

I think you mean




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:



It's the 'for sale: baby shoes, never worn' of text messages. It tells a story.

I guess you can say that it "forges a narrative."

"Did you eat, grandma?"
"Did you eat grandma?"

Tell me what kind of a difference the comma makes. How stupid do you have to be to get rid of it? No, scratch that. Some people actually won't understand the difference in the two sentences I posted.

 scarletsquig wrote:
I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT COMMAS ARE USEFUL BECAUSE IT IS POSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND THE TEXT WRITTEN WITHOUT THEM AND ALSO LOWERCASE LETTERS ARE UNREQUIRED FOR FULL COMPREHENSION OF THE WRITTEN WORD EVERYONE SHOULD WRITE LIKE ONE OF THE MORE CONFUSING PASSAGES IN AN IAIN M BANKS NOVEL TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER END SENTENCE AND POST NO WAIT DAKKA STOP TELLING ME NOT TO POST THIS I AM DOING IT FOR PERFECTLY VALID REASONS END SENTENCE AGAIN

Only soccer moms and 9 year olds post in all caps.

Are you a 9 year old soccer mom?

JE NE CROI PAS QUE LE LANGUE ANGLAISE EST UTILE, CAR ON PEUT COMPREND LE TEXTE ECRIVÉ SANS ELLE.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
JE NE CROI PAS QUE LE LANGUE ANGLAISE EST UTILE, CAR ON PEUT COMPREND LE TEXTE ECRIVÉ SANS ELLE.

*la langue.

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
My boss, who makes 100 grand a year, posted a memo with the words 'should of' in it. I circled it and corrected it as a contraction like a grade 4 teacher would of . . .

Was this intended as a joke?