Tagged Questions

1
vote
2answers
357 views

Use of a semicolon before and comma after “however”

Several years ago, a previous boss told me to use a semicolon and comma with the word "however". I've always questioned this and would like to know if the following random sentences are using the ...
1
vote
2answers
56 views

'and to' quagmire

Consider: Her goal is to pioneer the idea of gardening in small or urban environments, and to inspire and educate people everywhere to grow their own organic food and live sustainably. The comma ...
3
votes
1answer
109 views

Where shall I put the comma in this sentence?

I'm not sure whether I should write like this: Try A or, a more famous one, B. Or like this Try A, or a more famous one, B. Or try other forms to avoid expression like this. Does anyone ...
0
votes
2answers
231 views

Comma use in “I am passionate about X, whether it be …”

I have trouble telling when I’m overusing commas. My question is if the comma between undertake and whether is needed: I am passionate about the quality of work I undertake, whether it be school ...
-4
votes
3answers
751 views

If you're starting a sentence with “and” or another conjunction, must you follow the conjunction with a comma?

When I was a kid, I was always told that starting a sentence off with "and" was improper. However, now it seems as if the consensus amongst members of the English cartel is that it is totally ...
0
votes
0answers
14 views

“Rate, comment, and subscribe” vs. “rate, comment and subscribe” [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Should I put a comma before the last item in a list? In a sentence, when listing a couple — at least three — of things, are you supposed to add a comma before the last ...
3
votes
1answer
301 views

Is it correct to use the conjunction “or” more than twice in one sentence?

For an example is it correct to say: You may use X or Y or Z or even something else. And what is proper punctuation for such example in case it is valid.
0
votes
2answers
85 views

How to rigorously define independent clauses? [closed]

Consider the following sentence: The independent filmmaker Ira Sachs’s drama “Keep the Lights On,” which opened on Friday, is neither an especially good movie nor an especially bad one, but ...
2
votes
4answers
575 views

Comma placement following a coordinating connector

Is there a de jure standard in print media for comma placement following a coordinating connector? The situation is perilous, but if we are prepared to act promptly, there is still one chance of ...
1
vote
3answers
947 views

What is the proper apostrophe placement when using the letter N in place of the word “and”? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: What rules determine the apostrophe placement in “ham 'n eggs” and similar expressions? What is the proper apostrophe placement for using the letter N in place of the ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views

Is “not only… but as well…” grammatical?

I was given a text to read by my teacher which contains the following sentence: Speaking a foreign language one can not only read the papers, magazines and original books by outstanding writers, ...
1
vote
3answers
200 views

Is comma needed before “and” in two connecting clauses?

I have the fallowing sentence (I've changed the content to keep it fairly understandable, the relations between the parts are the same). However, it states in the literature that green people love ...
1
vote
2answers
202 views

What is the proper way to punctuate “but no”?

I'm trying to figure out the proper usage and punctuation of "but no". I think it's one of the following: You figure I would have made at least one post about Arthur C. Clarke’s “2010” during ...
1
vote
3answers
104 views

Clarification of list grouping

I'm editing some engineering documentation in Australia, and I'd like to say: The tests shall: 1) verify connectivity, 2) test (performance and endurance) by ... The tests shall verify ...
1
vote
1answer
361 views

Using “and” to combine two sentences [closed]

I would like to combine these two sentences. Have significant experience of managing office and warehouse. Have experience of managing people at office and warehouse. Can I use and to do ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views

Comma after To at the beginning of a sentence

I am just writing my master thesis and I am unsure whether to place a comma in sentences starting with "To". Here are some examples: To be able to improve the performance[,] it is important to ...
8
votes
3answers
438 views

What rules determine the apostrophe placement in “ham 'n eggs” and similar expressions?

In expressions such as "ham 'n eggs", the conjunction 'n appears to replace and, yet there is only one apostrophe to indicate the missing a and none for the missing d (i.e., no "ham 'n' eggs"). Is ...
3
votes
2answers
183 views

Repetition of hyphen in shared prefixes [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Can a hyphen be used without anything on the right side? I'm trying to discuss types of semiconductor, there is P-type and N-type. Assuming my hyphenation is correct, ...
1
vote
6answers
576 views

What is the correct conjunction or punctuation for the following sentence?

I have two sentences as follows: We don't know what we should do if the worst case happens. The worse case is when the math teacher does not allow us to use calculators in the test. I want to ...
4
votes
3answers
364 views

Whether an omitted “that” should be replaced with a comma in certain situations

Consider a sentence like this: "I'm just letting you know that the meeting is at 6 tonight." It would be pretty common to omit "that" in this sentence: "I'm just letting you know the meeting is at ...
2
votes
2answers
263 views

When writing instructions, is it OK to leave “and” out of a quick chain of commands?

I'm editing a series of instructions, and I keep stumbling over this issue of whether using "and" in a chain of similar commands is necessary. From the Start menu, select All Programs, then ...
2
votes
3answers
772 views

Commas after Conjunctions

So we've already discussed at length whether it's okay to start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, and it's pretty clear that it is (and I've already done it in this sentence). But (there we ...
11
votes
5answers
15k views

When do we need to put a comma after “so”?

I noticed that most of the times when the conjunction "so" is used at the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma: So, this gets published but the fact that it is inaccurate gets ...
12
votes
6answers
7k views

Using a comma before “but”

I was once told by an English professor that a comma should never be used before but in a sentence. For years, I have followed her advice but sometimes I just feel like it just needs to be there. On ...
4
votes
2answers
691 views

Should “vice versa” be treated as an independent clause?

I know "vice versa" more or less means "conversely," but when it is used by itself, should it be punctuated as if it were an independent clause? Dogs don't like cats, and vice versa. or Dogs ...
6
votes
4answers
836 views

When should you use a semicolon *with* a conjunction?

I know the basics of a semicolon—at least I think I do. Aside from delimiting verbose lists, it separates independent clauses of a sentence. So, if you have two independent clauses in a sentence, ...
2
votes
2answers
289 views

Can “;” be used to replace the word “but”?

Are these two sentences both correct and equivalent? People say stuff like "all lawyers are liars", but it's not true. People say stuff like "all lawyers are liars"; it's not true. Is ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views

Is it mandatory to use a comma before a coordinating conjunction uniting the two independent clauses in a compound sentence?

My friend and I had an argument about whether this sentence required a comma: I understand where you're coming from but I disagree. My friend insisted that there should be a comma before "but": ...