tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post112575059083696808..comments2024-03-14T10:31:26.918+00:00Comments on DCblog: On commasDChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-386889720865967202008-02-18T17:48:00.000+00:002008-02-18T17:48:00.000+00:00Good post!I've always found the use of commas in A...Good post!<BR/>I've always found the use of commas in American English much more phonetic than in British English, and this is not a compliment :-). It's annoying to read something like this: "And, the company is expecting a 20% increase in...". Although I may be wrong, I still think that the comma behind "and" is totally redundant. But never mind: in my translations from English into Portuguese, I always kill "redundant" commas, because they wouldn't fit in the style of my target language anyway...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-18135351778160719602008-01-12T16:39:00.000+00:002008-01-12T16:39:00.000+00:00Thanks for the clarification. I like that phrase "...Thanks for the clarification. I like that phrase "how to achive a rhythmic performance"!Andrew Shieldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02804655739574694901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-34640393813556582102008-01-12T13:57:00.000+00:002008-01-12T13:57:00.000+00:00I agree. All I meant was that the punctuation as s...I agree. All I meant was that the punctuation as shown gives no clue about how to achieve a rhythmic performance. People have to make up for the deficient punctuation, therefore - which they do by revising the prosody somehow, such as the way you suggest (usually by making <I>and</I> a separate tone unit).DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-2670894798120782992008-01-12T13:40:00.000+00:002008-01-12T13:40:00.000+00:00I agree that sentence 3 does not involve reading "...I agree that sentence 3 does not involve reading "Jeremy glanced at the clock and" as a single rhythmic unit, but there is a continuity to it that means that the commas around the "abruptly" unit do not disrupt the rhythm as much as you suggest.<BR/><BR/>I find myself putting some emphasis on "and" that would not be there if "abruptly closing his book" were not there.Andrew Shieldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02804655739574694901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-32426591083831724962008-01-12T11:47:00.000+00:002008-01-12T11:47:00.000+00:00Just to say I'm a new reader to your site and alre...Just to say I'm a new reader to your site and already a big fan. I very much appreciate your cool, measured voice. I really ought to know better, but my punctuation is still erratic on occasions, so thank you for the information, too!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com