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[freeformschooler]

College english classes have forced me to start thinking about my commas more. For example: did you know that the following sentence...

He didn't do that, because it was a bad idea.

...is incorrect? That's right, I've been putting commas before subordination words my whole life. You can only do that before certain words (for and nor but or yet so). As I've discovered, taking the commas out of subordination makes my sentences flow a LOT better.

HOWEVER! Let's say I have a sentence like this:

I didn't want to do that, but did.

Even though the coordinator "but" is in there, it's incorrect because the part after the coordinator word is not a complete sentence! So I'm forced to use "but" as a subordinator.

I'm not even an English major or minor and these kinds of things rattle me.

[Flying Dice]

What a surprise,  I'm also guilty of comma overuse. I've taken to reading anything I write out loud before turning it in/posting the link because of that exact problem.

[Andal]

Hell, this is turning into a COA (Comma Over-users Anonymous) meeting.

[Skyrunner]

Actually, I can't remember if – or — was the em dash, and/or if the en dash was used for the above...

The en dash is the length of an N and the em dash the length of an M. Except where they aren't. The ratio should be ~1:2 but depends on the font.

The Chicago Manual of Style uses em dashes in the manner you did, with no spaces. This means it's almost certainly wrong. Outside the US en dashes with spaces before and after are more common and frankly easier on a standard keyboard. And - IMO - easier on the eyes.

Why are you so pessimistic about the CMoS(whatever that is)?

Also, you're probably wrong — however bad the CMoS is, the fact is that most, if not all, publishers use the closed dash, not the opened dash. Both styles are—IIRC—equally correct. I used closed dashes on purpose in my quoted post, while most of the time I use opened ones.

The two books I have right now, one from Princeton Review, the other from Harper Collins, both use closed dashes.


EDIT: I also am guilty of comma overdosage >.>

something that annoys me, both online and in real lfe, but more the latter than the former: 'gay' as an adjective that means some general bad qualities. :\

ex:
  This homework is so gay.
  That's gay!
  You're gay.

:\ They surely don't mean 'happy' when using 'gay', and I don't think the homework is homosexual.

Really. Why the hell is 'gay' a derisive adjective?! (I think I spelled that d-word wrong.)

[Dutchling]

What a surprise,  I'm also guilty of comma overuse. I've taken to reading anything I write out loud before turning it in/posting the link because of that exact problem.

Learn German. My German teacher basically told us to put a comma everywhere you think one might be needed as the Germans love their comma's. Dutch seems to be between German and English in that regard, as I'm quite sure Freeformschooler's first sentence would have needed a comma in Dutch.

[palsch]

Why are you so pessimistic about the CMoS(whatever that is)?

Mostly just humour, partially that the CMoS tends to be prescriptivist American grammar and so not overly common in the broader written English language. Even the editors tend not to be as strict as the guide is in the vast majority of cases. Still better than most other style manuals at least.

In this case it's mostly American literature that uses the closed em-dash. Outside the US nearly everyone other than Oxford press seems to use the open en. And yeah, both are 'correct' insofar as there is a correct option here. The last bit was just personal preference.

[Skyrunner]

Hmm, I can't remember if any of my books had opened dashes — most of the time I don't even notice whether they're open or not.

One weird thing about my country's books osthat ellipses are like ••• but smaller. That is, they are in the middle of the air, not flat like Western ellipses . . .

[RedKing]

I'm a serial comma abuser as well. Also OD on the parenthetical asides (see what I mean?)

I blame my history degree. History majors are the kind to stop in mid-thought and realize that you "need" additional backstory to whatever they're saying, so they launch into a tangent in mid-sentence, then try to pick up the line of thought after the tangent.

[Dutchling]

Hmm, I can't remember if any of my books had opened dashes — most of the time I don't even notice whether they're open or not.

One weird thing about my country's books osthat ellipses are like ••• but smaller. That is, they are in the middle of the air, not flat like Western ellipses . . .

What do you do with those lines anyway?

[Skyrunner]

Hmm, I can't remember if any of my books had opened dashes — most of the time I don't even notice whether they're open or not.

One weird thing about my country's books osthat ellipses are like ••• but smaller. That is, they are in the middle of the air, not flat like Western ellipses . . .

What do you do with those lines anyway?

Make chocolate brownies that are 90 calories apiece. Tastey!

[Johuotar]

I remember how mu english teacher told us not to use commas because we would get them all wrong more often if we tried to use them. :-/

[Jervous]

I am a pretty uncaring person so really anything I find annoying I don't exactly mind that much, but here are some things I find sorta irritating.


Things that annoy me on the world wide web(Some are habits okay):


People that are obsessed with grammar and punctuation and will call people out constantly on problems with what they wrote as if it actually mattered (""Grammer Nazi's"")
People that obsess over games, for example trying to be the best
People that try to act 'insane', 'random', or 'awkward' to be funny or just be generally unlikeable
Tumblr and reblogging pointless shit
This emoticon "^^"
This emoticon "<<; >>"
Any emoticon lacking a mouth that's trying to be passive-aggressive but really just making the user out to be a person who thinks they are intelligent
People that are overintelligent(actually intelligent or not, it doesn't matter) and are generally annoying
People that bandwagon fandoms
People that are so oversensitive they will ragequit conversations
People that go on the internet when they are drunk or high and shove it in people's faces
People that get upset over petty and tiny things
People that try to stand up for something they don't understand or have no business defending
Easily offended people
People that can't take a joke
People that are so obsessed with trolls they can't go a page without posting the word at least twenty times
People that can't differentiate between 'trolling' and 'making a harmless fucking joke'
Also, the ways certain people talk(type) irritate me. I dunno why really.


I bet these are the most unpopular opinions.

[Darvi]

This emoticon "^^"
This emoticon "<<; >>"

What about ^_^ <_< and >_>?

People that are overintelligent(actually intelligent or not, it doesn't matter) and are generally annoying

You mean pseudo-intellecutals?

[RedKing]

I am a pretty uncaring person so really anything I find annoying I don't exactly mind that much, but here are some things I find sorta irritating.


Things that annoy me on the world wide web(Some are habits okay):


People that are obsessed with grammar and punctuation and will call people out constantly on problems with what they wrote as if it actually mattered (""Grammer Nazi's"")
People that obsess over games, for example trying to be the best
People that try to act 'insane', 'random', or 'awkward' to be funny or just be generally unlikeable
Tumblr and reblogging pointless shit
This emoticon "^^"
This emoticon "<<; >>"
Any emoticon lacking a mouth that's trying to be passive-aggressive but really just making the user out to be a person who thinks they are intelligent
People that are overintelligent(actually intelligent or not, it doesn't matter) and are generally annoying
People that bandwagon fandoms
People that are so oversensitive they will ragequit conversations
People that go on the internet when they are drunk or high and shove it in people's faces
People that get upset over petty and tiny things
People that try to stand up for something they don't understand or have no business defending
Easily offended people
People that can't take a joke
People that are so obsessed with trolls they can't go a page without posting the word at least twenty times
People that can't differentiate between 'trolling' and 'making a harmless fucking joke'
Also, the ways certain people talk(type) irritate me. I dunno why really.


I bet these are the most unpopular opinions.

TLDR;  I hate you all SO MUCH 

[Skyrunner]

This emoticon "^^"
This emoticon "<<; >>"

What about ^_^ <_< and >_>?

What about >.> or <.<?