Edmond, The copy-editor, who will go unnamed here, is otherwise very thoughtful and accomplished and trained as a linguist. It wasn't just a sporadic change, but a purposeful and systematic one. He made other suggestions that were helpful. I apologize for making a generalization on the basis of one source. I'm happy to be corrected.> From your perspective, how is the reintroduction of grammar faring? Is there much resistance? Are the teachers prepared to embrace and teach it? Craig > Craig, > > I don't know where your British copy-editor got that extraordinary idea > that > we don't use the comma in compound sentences. Perhaps it is one sad > result > of the disappearance of all things linguistic from our English syllabuses > -- > the result of the great neo-romantic banishment of grammar in the sixties > and onwards. I have the commas for that purpose all over my book, as well > as a crop of semicolons and colons, and my copy-editor was perfectly happy > with them all. > > You ask about my book -- that is a distinct temptation to send you, and > presumably (brazenly) everyone else! -- the advertisement for it and what > the cover looks like, but I don't think ATEG accepts attachments. I'll > send > them separately directly to you. > > Edmond > > > > > > > > > Edmond, >> I have a British publisher (Equinox) for my book, Meaning-Centered >> Grammar. Believe it or not, the copy editor took all those commas out >> (hundreds, maybe thousands over the course of the whole book), and did >> this despite the fact that I advocate their use in my chapter on >> grammar and writing. I was told at the time that he was following >> British practice. When I objected, I won the argument, and they were >> dutifully put back in. Perhaps I was misled? >> It may be the systems that we get used to come to seem the most >> functional, perhaps because we find ways to defy expectations >> purposefully. If the final series comma is expected, then we can make a >> point by leaving it out, as in "peanut butter and jelly" or "down and >> out", which are often one thing rather than two. >> Is your book as interesting as its title? >> >> Craig >> >> >> >> >> >>>> Craig, >>> >>> Where did you get the idea that in Britain we don't put commas before >>> conjunctions in compound sentences? We adopt the FANBOYS rule all >>> right >>> (unless your speaker was gabbling at high speed -- or was Dickens' Mrs. >>> Lirriper or Joyce's Molly Bloom!). As you say, we do largely omit the >>> comma >>> before the conjunction in a list of nouns or verbs, etc., though that >>> is >>> not >>> absolute -- for there are occasions where the comma emphasizes >>> distinctness >>> for some reason: for example, I kept this so-called 'Oxford' comma in >>> the >>> title of my recent book 'Narrative, Perception, Language, and Faith' >>> because >>> the appearance in the argument of the topic of faith is intended to be >>> something of a surprise. >>> >>> Edmond >>> >>> >>> Dr. Edmond Wright >>> 3 Boathouse Court >>> Trafalgar Road >>> Cambridge >>> CB4 1DU >>> England >>> >>> Email: [log in to unmask] >>> Website: http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/elw33/ >>> Phone [00 44] (0)1223 350256 >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Just to complicate the talk (after all these votes for simplicity), >>>> British practice differs from American on this one. They don't ask for >>>> commas here (before the conjunction linking compound sentences) or >>>> before the final element in a series (with "and" or "or".) > >>>> What you would hope for, I think, is consistency, not just a >>>> sporadic >>>> sprinkling. If the comma is included or left out DELIBERATELY and >>>> consistently, then I don't think we should command otherwise. >>>> >>>> Craig >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >>> interface >>> at: >>> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html >>> and select "Join or leave the list" >>> >>> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ >>> >> >> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >> interface at: >> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html >> and select "Join or leave the list" >> >> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface > at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html > and select "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/