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Re: comma question

Subject: Re: comma question
From: Janice Gelb <janice -dot- gelb -at- sun -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 15:24:40 -0800


Paul Moloney wrote:

maggiros -at- yahoo -dot- com (Maggie Pierce Secara) writes:


| > "I'd like to thank my parents, Ann Rynd and God."

| From reading the above, I would have thought that:
| my parents are Ann Rand
| and God. IMHO, the comma after 'Ann Rand,' gives the
| sentence a completely
| different meaning!

Which is, of course, the point!


Wouldn't that be the sense if there was a colon in the sentence?
For example:

"I'd like to thank my parents: Ann Rynd and God.

With a comma, to me - at least - it reads correctly.


The red flag here is the phrase "to me - at least." Perhaps
the comma does not take the place of a colon to you but
for other readers, it might.

That's why many organizations (including mine) require the
serial comma. Eliminating it doesn't seem to gain you very
much, while including it guarantees that your meaning is
clear.

-- Janice



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Follow-Ups:

References:
RE: comma question: From: JB Foster
RE: comma question: From: Maggie Pierce Secara

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