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User:Tangerineduel/Sandbox 2: Difference between revisions
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→After a form of address: more comma stuff
(→After a form of address: more comma stuff) |
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:'''Correct''': Doctor, come here. | :'''Correct''': Doctor, come here. | ||
:'''Incorrect''': Doctor come here. | :'''Incorrect''': Doctor come here. | ||
====After a general noun that immediately precedes a more specific example of that noun==== | |||
This usage of commas is really very important on a wiki like ours, which includes a lot of weird species names. However, it's something that's often ignored or just not well-understood. Consider this sentence: | |||
:Barbara was concerned about her student, Susan. | |||
The comma before Susan is actually '''compulsory'''. If it's left out, many of us would still be able to make sense of the sentence, because we understand what a student is, and Susan is a very common first name. But leaving off the comma is still, technically, wrong. The reason for this becomes clearer when we start using less familiar words: | |||
:Sarah Jane once fought against [[Qetesh]] [[Ruby White]]. | |||
:Sarah Jane once fought against [[Qetesh]], [[Ruby White]]. | |||
The comma here makes all the difference. Without the comma, a valid reading of the sentence is that [[Qetesh]] is a title, as in [[President of the United States|Preisdent]] [[James Buchanan]]. With a comma, Ruby White is clearly a part of whatever group is described by the noun [[Qetesh]]. | |||
Since races are often blue-linked next to individuals of that species, it's very important to include a comma between the race and the individual to tell the reader that the race name is not a title, or that the whole thing, "[[Qetesh]] [[Ruby White]]", isn't a single, triple-named entity. Remember, you, as an editor on a ''Doctor Who'' wiki, might not even blink at the lack of a comma, because you know what a Qetesh is and who Ruby White is. However, the casual reader, or even the ''Doctor Who'' fan who simply has never seen ''SJA'', probably won't parse those three words correctly without a comma. | |||
====In a list==== | |||
Commas separate items in lists, as in the sentence: "The Doctor has a recorder, a frilly shirt, a scarf and a bowtie." Note that a comma before the conjunction, and, is optional, but generally avoided. It's thus correct, but somewhat antiquated, to say, "The Doctor has a recorder, a frilly shirt, a scarf, and a bowtie." | |||
====Independent clause separation==== | ====Independent clause separation==== | ||
Commas are used to separate two clauses in a sentence which are independent of each other. That is, the two clauses could easily form sentences of their own. | Commas are used to separate two clauses in a sentence which are independent of each other. That is, the two clauses could easily form sentences of their own. | ||
