I’ve always wondered whether you should put a full stop or a comma after come on.
- Come on, it’s just over there!
- Come on. It’s just over there!
Which one is right?
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Sign up to join this communityI’ve always wondered whether you should put a full stop or a comma after come on.
- Come on, it’s just over there!
- Come on. It’s just over there!
Which one is right?
Both versions are correct. The difference is that in the former case, "come on" is an independent clause, while in the latter case it is a complete sentence. Neither is preferable.
As I see it, both "come on" and "it's just over there" are independent clauses/simple sentences, so they cannot be separated by a comma unless a coordinating conjunction is included. They can only be punctuated with a semi-colon, a full-stop or an exclamation mark.
I prefer a full-stop in this example. However, if you're trying to use "come on" to show disbelief of somebody's stupidity, you should use an exclamation mark. ("Come on! It's just over there. How can you not see it!")
A semicolon should be used when linking two independent clauses that are not linked by a coordinating conjunction, e.g., and, but, or. Short independent clauses, which these are, are normally fine with a comma, especially if they more or less convey the same meaning. As they are capable of being stand alone sentences, they can be punctuated using a full stop as well. In your case I would vote for the comma, but I'm sure I'm going to post some very similar questions here for opinions regarding punctuation of this type of sentence, i.e., imperative + statement.
The version with the full stop is incorrect.
There usually exists a comma in these situations. Such as: Come on, we have a lot to do. Come on, lets do the dishes.
But there can be a single situations where it can be used with an exclamation mark, as under:
Come on!
Even though there the phrase might be said in strong feelings or high volume, but it is written with a comma. Example: She yelled, "Come on, the building is on fire!"