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Punctuation (was: I got thrown for a loop.)

Subject: Punctuation (was: I got thrown for a loop.)
From: Jean Hollis Weber <jean -at- jeanweber -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 08:39:21 +1000


Bonnie Granat wrote,

... the greeting is us[u]ally mispunctuated (missing a comma after "Hello." ...

David Neeley commented,
As for the comma after "Hello"--I think that is optional in this use today.

I agree with David: it's a matter of style. _I_ certainly don't use a comma after "Hello", especially when "Hello" is followed by someone's name, but I don't think using the comma in that situation is incorrect punctuation. (Note use of UK punctuation above, with the comma after the closing quotation marks; that's a matter of style, too.)

I differentiate between punctuation that is essential or at least very important to convey the intended meaning and punctuation that is a stylistic preference that is not needed to convey the intended meaning. A comma after "Hello" definitely falls in the second category.

More about my views on punctuation and grammar are in my article "Escape from the grammar trap", http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/magazine/writing/grammartrap.html.

Regards, Jean
Jean Hollis Weber
The Technical Editors' Eyrie http://www.jeanweber.com/


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