Ben, I cannot teach without diagnosing. That is not `judging' to condemn: It
is to identify the nature of the problem before applying the remedy. And I
would have no quarrel with `The boy in the blue cap' in the right context:
It is readily a dependent sentence:
`Who broke the window?'
`The boy in the blue cap.'
Sophie
----- Original Message -----
From: Ben Potter <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2001 1:29 AM
Subject: Re: A comma-splice?
Sophie,
For all of the talk about seeing things in and out of context, how can
you place judgment on this writing? Maybe the student had written:
I'm a friendly guy, as most people can tell you. Maybe we've
been friends for 20 years. Maybe I've just met you. Either way, I won't
hesitate to strike up a conversation. It doesn't matter what we have in
common; we always will have something to talk about. I'll make sure of
it.
Also, authorial intent aside, some things are just plain wrong. The boy
with the blue cape. That is a sentence fragment, no matter what my
intent was.
Ben
> ----------
> From: Sophie Johnson
> Reply To: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
> Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 9:44 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: A comma-splice?
>
> Ben:
> (i) a semi-colon or a colon possibly, because either can perform a
> full
> stop's role in certain contexts;
> (ii) em-dash absolutely not: it is not a sentence marker.
>
> But what is the point of punctuating a sequence that fails to make
> sense,
> one sense, and the sense the writer intends?
>
> Sophie
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Ben Potter <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 11:59 PM
> Subject: Re: A comma-splice?
>
>
> Sophie,
>
> A full stop is not necessarily "essential." The two sentences appear
> to
> be related enough to warrent an em dash or a semicolon.
>
> > ----------
> > From: Sophie Johnson
> > Reply To: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
> > Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 6:45 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: A comma-splice?
> >
> > The comma cannot splice two independent sentences. A full stop
> between
> > them is essential:
> >
> > It doesn't matter what we have in common. We will always have
> > something to talk about.
> >
> > But that is the least of this student's problems. The more severe
> one
> > is in his non-sequitor. I should want to refer his `sentence' back
> to
> > him with a question something like: Did you intend to say: `Whether
> or
> > not we have anything in common, we will always have something to
> talk
> > about' ? (Authorial intent has to be established before the
> > punctuation of its statement can become an issue!)
> >
> > (Ed ... are you indulging a spot of leg pulling here?)
> >
> > Sophie
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Ed Vavra
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 7:43 PM
> > Subject: A comma-splice?
> >
> > I'd appreciate your comments about the last sentence in the
> > following. In particular, I would like to know if you consider it a
> > comma-splice, and, if so, what you would do about it (if anything)
> in
> > a student's writing?
> >
> > With all these people I have at least one thing in common,
> > either hair or eye color, or even disliking or liking the same
> people.
> > It doesn't matter what we have in common, we will always have
> > something to talk about.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Ed V.
> >
> >
>
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