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Random Grammar Questions

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  • Josh BytesJosh Bytes
    Calvin "Then what about old paintings before that? They have color."

    Dad "The paintings changed to color."

    Calvin "How did the artist know which colors to use if everything was black and white?"

    Dad "They were insane."

    It went something like that. To bad all Watterson does now are paintings of landscapes.
  • OzOz

    When did people start using B.C.E. and C.E.? When will we go back to B.C. and A.D.? Don't explain the p.c.-ness of it to me. I understand it. I just don't like the change.
    I don't really like this, because it is just pointless renaming. It isn't that p.c. of the changing point between B.C.E and C.E are the same as B.C. and A.D.
  • VickyVonKarmaVickyVonKarma
    If there are people that are still confused about comma usage and other grammatical things, you should pick up the book entitled "Eats, Shoots and Leaves"

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eats,_shoots_and_leaves

    And really, BC and AD are more religious toned than anything. BC = Before Christ, AD = Anno Domini.
    I've never heard of BCE/CE to be honest, because I don't watch television.
  • Johannes Uglyfred IIJohannes Uglyfred II
    In most of my anthropology courses at school, we used BCE/CE notation.

    Wikipedia: Common Era
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    In most of my anthropology courses at school, we used BCE/CE notation.Wikipedia: Common Era
    In my Human Heritage courses we always used BCE and CE.
  • SailSail
    I constantly struggle with the correct way to quotate a word at the end of a sentence.

    a) I'm not sure what you mean by "ethical".
    b) I'm not sure what you mean by "ethical."

    It would make sense to me that you'd leave the period out of the quotations because it is not part of what you're quoting, but I've been told before that it belongs inside. Which is right/better?
  • JasonJason
    Inside.
  • SailSail
    I will have to adjust my habits, then.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    If you ask me, just do what makes sense.
  • SailSail
    If you ask me, just do what makes sense.
    Yeah, but I trust Jason. He's all grammar-y and shit.
  • DiddgeryDiddgery
    If you ask me, just do what makes sense.
    Sometimes, what makes sense is grammatically incorrect, and people will call you out for it. And that's terrible.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited November 2010
    Well, in this case it's the difference between the "American" and "British" styles - both are widely used.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • theknoxinatortheknoxinator
    For me personally, even though it may not be technically correct, if it's only one word, I will put the period on the outside.
  • WaterInThereWaterInThere
    According to the Big Book of Grammar rules we had in my journalism class, the period always goes inside the quotation. This was fine for periods, but always felt weird whenever other punctuation came up so I usually tried to write the sentence in a way where the quotation wasn't at the end.

    On another note, did anyone else learn the rule that commas, when not used in a list, should always be used in pairs and placed in such a way that the sentence would remain grammatically correct if what was between them was removed?
  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    a) I'm not sure what you mean by "ethical".
    According to the AP style guide, this is the correct form.
  • Nine BoomerNine Boomer
    a) I'm not sure what you mean by "ethical".
    According to the AP style guide, this is the correct form.
    Journalism, the peak of human literature.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    According to the AP style guide, this is the correct form.
    According to the rules of English grammar, that's the wrong form. Punctuation goes inside quotation marks; this includes semicolons and the like.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    I think it's one of those things that, as long as you keep it consistent within a single document, doesn't matter.
  • CremlianCremlian
    I think it's one of those things that, as long as you keep it consistent within a single document, doesn't matter.
  • RymRym
    Punctuation goes inside quotation marks.
  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    Punctuation goes inside quotation marks.
    See, that makes sense, but I'll get a letter grade knocked off a paper if I do that in Journalism 110. Seriously, it matters a lot in journalism to follow AP. Thank goodness I'm not actually going to become a journalist...
  • Nine BoomerNine Boomer
    Punctuation goes inside quotation marks.
    See, that makes sense, but I'll get a letter grade knocked off a paper if I do that in Journalism 110. Seriously, it matters a lot in journalism to follow AP. Thank goodness I'm not actually going to become a journalist...
    Why does journalism chose to follow different rules than those of normal english grammar?
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    Well, in this instance normal English grammar is stupid.
  • JasonJason
    Punctuation goes inside quotation marks.
    See, that makes sense, but I'll get a letter grade knocked off a paper if I do that in Journalism 110. Seriously, it matters a lot in journalism to follow AP. Thank goodness I'm not actually going to become a journalist...
    Why does journalism chose to follow different rules than those of normal english grammar?
    As a journalist and a member of the Ohio Newspaper Association, I'm not sure exactly where your teacher is coming from, Victor. The AP Style Guide is quite clear that periods go inside quotes, except in a single instance:

    Always put the period and comma inside quotation marks. Put other punctuation marks inside when they are part of the quoted material.
    “ I saw the play,” he said.
    He said, “I saw the play.”
    “ Did you see the play?” he asked.
    Should I see “King Lear”?
  • AprecheApreche
    I know that punctuation almost always goes inside quotes. However, there is an instance where I'm not sure.

    Sesame Street is brought to you by the letter "A".
    or
    Sesame Street is brought to you by the letter "A."
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    Sesame Street is brought to you by the letter "A."
  • RymRym
    There is a modern problem of using quotation marks for explicit syntax or names of variables, as "blah," is possibly ambiguous in such a case.

    However, this is easily circumvented by using italics instead.
  • SailSail
    edited March 2012
    There is now an MLA standard method for citing a Twitter post.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • trogdor9trogdor9
    There is now an MLA standard method for citing a Twitter post.
    Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long.

    Anyway, people in this thread might be interested in Stack Exchange's site for English Language and Usage:
    http://english.stackexchange.com/
  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    edited March 2012
    Oh man, I'm going to use tweets in every paper I write from now on.

    EDIT: I just learned about a new resource! The Corpus of Contemporary American English! Thanks English.StackExchange.com!
    Post edited by Victor Frost on
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