Subj : Grammar in the Bar
To   : Ardith Hinton
From : Ed Vance
Date : Thu Jun 27 2024 10:25:24


> Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

>           It's a matter of style, not an absolute requirement, and some
> people recommend using it only when it's needed to avoid confusion:

>             Through the window I saw John, a basketball player and a friend
> of
>             mine.

> What is this friend's name, and is he a basketball player?  I have no idea.
> I found the example in Wikipedia... I didn't personally invent it.

>             I asked for coffee with a breakfast of pancakes, bacon & eggs,
> hot buttered toast and hash brown potatoes.

> At 5WPM I can type an added comma without having to fret about whether
> someone from ElseWhere will think I buttered the hash browns *after* they
> were cooked. For me it's easier to use the Oxford comma routinely in such a
> list than to go into detail about why buttering such things on the plate may
> not work.

>           If Denis asks I'll do the latter, but other folks may not care.
> :-Q

>           BTW, here's a joke Dallas found shortly before your message
> arrived:

>             I like cooking my family and my pets.
>                     -- commas save lives

>           I suppose you could in many cases.  But as Anton says, in English
> it is generally considered desirable to avoid unnecessary verbiage....
> [chuckle].

> --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
>  * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

When I read Dallas's joke I thought about the phrase:
"Love your kids but belt them in the car."

Hmmm, should  I had put a period after the ending quote mark?
Ed
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