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Help settle a small grammatical row,please.

post #1 of 14
4/22/10 at 2:50pm
Thread Starter 
With punctuation like that, you are just the type of person they need!

Does the sentence above need that comma?
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post #2 of 14
4/22/10 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by benecios View Post
With punctuation like that, you are just the type of person they need!

Does the sentence above need that comma?

It may depend on what you mean by "need". It's certainly not inappropriate. See, for example, the examples provided in Strunk and White in the discussion of Elementary Rule of Usage No. 11.
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post #3 of 14
4/22/10 at 2:59pm
yes
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post #4 of 14
4/22/10 at 3:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lawyerdad View Post
It may depend on what you mean by "need". It's certainly not inappropriate. See, for example, the examples provided in Strunk and White in the discussion of Elementary Rule of Usage No. 11.

Thanks for that. I said it shouldn't have a comma so I think I'm wrong.
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post #5 of 14
4/22/10 at 3:05pm
With punctuation like that, you are just the type of person they need!

In that sentence, "With punctuation like that" is modifying you. If that is what you mean, then yes, you need a comma.
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post #6 of 14
4/22/10 at 3:06pm
Yes. "With punctuation like that" is an absolute phrase (or "nominative absolute") which is treated as a parenthetical element and therefore offset by a comma. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/gramm...htm#appositive
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post #7 of 14
4/22/10 at 3:26pm
I'm, going to defer, to vaclava on, this subject.
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post #8 of 14
4/22/10 at 3:33pm
The comma is fine. The exclamation point is a bit much.
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post #9 of 14
4/22/10 at 3:36pm
I'd PM vaclava and ask him.
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post #10 of 14
4/22/10 at 6:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dakota rube View Post
I'm, going to defer, to vaclava on, this subject.

A bunch of serious answers and then this. I lol'ed.
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post #11 of 14
4/23/10 at 11:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dakota rube View Post
I'm, going to defer, to vaclava on, this subject.
mmm, I love baklava!
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post #12 of 14
4/24/10 at 1:15am
+1 on the need for the comma. Without it, the entire meaning of the sentence changes, and the "that" modifies the phrase "you are just the type of person" instead of your intended "punctuation." In such a case, the sentence also becomes a fragment.
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post #13 of 14
4/24/10 at 7:34pm
Comma usage generally falls into one of two categories: the older "open" style, which uses fewer commas, and the newer "close" style, which tends to use more. The question whether a comma is needed in a particular instance can be debatable, but in general, commas should be used both to mirror the timing and cadence of actual speech and to avoid misreads. I think that your example needs a comma because there is a substantial risk of a misread without it.
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post #14 of 14
4/24/10 at 7:35pm
Definitely needs comma.
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