Sophie,

In that example, however, I think that the action is heavily implied.
Who broke the window? The boy in the blue cap (did it).

Ben

> ----------
> From:         Sophie Johnson
> Reply To:     Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
> Sent:         Thursday, June 28, 2001 8:55 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:           Re: A comma-splice?
> 
> 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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> >
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> >
> >
> 
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