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style_guidelines [2008-09-07 04:27] – created alkan | style_guidelines [2008-09-08 02:28] – alkan | ||
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Wrong use of punctuation here is not only jarring - it can also lead to misreading. | Wrong use of punctuation here is not only jarring - it can also lead to misreading. | ||
- | ---- | + | < |
Nonrestrictive relative clauses are parenthetic, | Nonrestrictive relative clauses are parenthetic, | ||
- | The audience, which had at first been indifferent, | + | < |
- | In 1769, when Napoleon was born, Corsica had but recently been acquired by France. | + | < |
- | Neither Stowey, where Coleridge wrote //The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,// is a few miles from Bridgewater. | + | < |
In these sentences, the clauses introduced by //which,// //when,// and //where// are nonrestrictive; | In these sentences, the clauses introduced by //which,// //when,// and //where// are nonrestrictive; | ||
- | The audience was at first indifferent. Later it became more and more interested. | + | < |
- | Napoleon was born in 1769. At that time Corsica had but recently been acquired by France. | + | < |
- | Coleridge wrote //The Rime of the Ancient Mariner// at Nether Stowey. Nether Stowey is a few miles from Bridgewater. | + | < |
Restrictive clauses, by contrast, are not parenthetic and are not set off by commas. Thus, | Restrictive clauses, by contrast, are not parenthetic and are not set off by commas. Thus, | ||
- | People who live in glass houses shouldn' | + | < |
Here the clause introduced by //who// does serve to tell which people are meant; the sentence, unlike the sentences above, cannot be split into two independent statements. The same principle of comma use applies to participial phrases and to appositives. | Here the clause introduced by //who// does serve to tell which people are meant; the sentence, unlike the sentences above, cannot be split into two independent statements. The same principle of comma use applies to participial phrases and to appositives. | ||
- | People sitting in the rear couldn' | + | < |
- | Uncle Bert, being slightly deaf, moved forward. // | + | < |
- | My cousin Bob is a talented harpist. // | + | < |
- | Our oldest daughter, Mary, sings. // | + | < |
When the main clause of a sentence is preceded by a phrase or a subordinate clause, use a comma to set off these elements. | When the main clause of a sentence is preceded by a phrase or a subordinate clause, use a comma to set off these elements. | ||
- | Partly by hard fighting, partly by diplomatic skill, they enlarged their dominions to the east and rose to royal rank with the possession of Sicily. | + | < |
+ | </ | ||
[Strunk & White, //The Elements of Style,// 3-5] | [Strunk & White, //The Elements of Style,// 3-5] | ||
- | ---- | + | < |
A commenting [nonrestrictive] clause should be within commas; a defining [restrictive] one should not. This is not an arbitrary rule; it is a utilitarian one. If you do not observe it, you may fail to make your meaning clear, or you may even say something different from what you intend.… | A commenting [nonrestrictive] clause should be within commas; a defining [restrictive] one should not. This is not an arbitrary rule; it is a utilitarian one. If you do not observe it, you may fail to make your meaning clear, or you may even say something different from what you intend.… | ||
- | I have made enquiries, and find that the clerk, who dealt with your enquiry, recorded the name of the firm incorrectly. | + | < |
- | The relative clause here is a defining one. The comma turns it into a commenting one and implies that the writer has only one clark. The truth is that one of several is being singled out; and this is made clear if the commas after //clerk// and //enquiry// are omitted. | + | The relative clause here is a defining one. The comma turns it into a commenting one and implies that the writer has only one clerk. The truth is that one of several is being singled out; and this is made clear if the commas after //clerk// and //enquiry// are omitted. |
The same mistake is made in: | The same mistake is made in: | ||
- | The Ministry issues permits to employing authorities to enable foreigners to land in this country for the purpose of taking up employment, for which British subjects are not available. | + | < |
The grammatical implication of this is that employment in general is not a thing for which British subjects are available. | The grammatical implication of this is that employment in general is not a thing for which British subjects are available. | ||
Line 63: | Line 62: | ||
An instruction book called " | An instruction book called " | ||
- | Pilots, whose minds are dull, do not usually live long. | + | < |
The commas convert a truism into an insult. | The commas convert a truism into an insult. | ||
+ | </ | ||
[Gowers, //The Complete Plain Words,// 244-46] | [Gowers, //The Complete Plain Words,// 244-46] |