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Question on Grammar (Period, or not?)

edited December 2007 in Everything Else
My friend needs me to post here to see what is the correct way to word this.
I'm 90% certain this will be deleted or promptly ignored, but I digress.

Now, does this statement, "I'm better at the English language than you you native English speaker" need a period between the two "you"s?
I stand by that it doesn't since there is no pause between them. The first "you" ends the subject matter of whom the speaker is better than. The second "you" continues with a description of the aforementioned.

Now Front Row Crew Forums, perhaps Mr. Period, I ask you, what do you think of this? Because apparently you're the source for authenticity on a claim when it comes to my friend =P

Comments

  • No, it's a comma, because "you native English speaker" is not a complete sentence. "I'm better at the English language than you, you native English speaker
  • edited December 2007
    Ditto and there actually is a pause in between the two "you"s.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • It needs a comma because it is an appositive, a noun used to provide additional description of another noun.
  • "You native speaker" isn't a full sentence it just gives more information on the you. So as everybody said, a comma would be nice.
  • ......
    edited December 2007
    Yay! I knew there should've been a comma. To sum it up Lord Moonstone, you were both wrong.

    Try to say that sentence out loud without pausing between the two "you"'s. You'll see it sounds wrong and needs a pause between the two sentences. Try it, both without and with pause. With the pause the sentence sounds better.

    It's not a run-on sentence, but ah... *googles* A comma splice? I know not the words to describe these things, neither in English nor Dutch.

    EDIT: Has there ever been a topic that has been deleted?
    Post edited by ... on
  • EDIT: Has there ever been a topic that has been deleted?
    As far as I can remember, topics aren't deleted and are rarely closed.
  • It's not a run-on sentence, but ah... *googles* A comma splice? I know not the words to describe these things, neither in English nor Dutch.
    A coma splice is a type of run-on sentence when you mush two sentences together with a coma.
  • How about saying it this way, is this proper grammar?

    "I am better at the English language than you: a native English speaker."

    Also out of curiosity, would proper grammar dictate that an additional verb or noun is needed after the word "better"? "the English language" seems a little vague as to what exactly about the English language you are better at. I know this is very picky, but I am curious as to what an English professor would dictate the most proper way to word the above noted sentence.
  • How about saying it this way, is this proper grammar?

    "I am better at the English language than you: a native English speaker."

    Also out of curiosity, would proper grammar dictate that an additional verb or noun is needed after the word "better"? "the English language" seems a little vague as to what exactly about the English language you are better at. I know this is very picky, but I am curious as to what an English professor would dictate the most proper way to word the above noted sentence.
    Eh, no. Don't ask me why though. I base most grammar stuff on how it sounds to me. And looks in some cases.

    Your second question is nitpicking. It's like asking: "Okay, tell me exactly what you are better at than me then". And besides, there's already a word there, 'at'.
  • Yeah, I think my grammar skills are screwed up. I only took one English course in College that really screwed me up.He spent the entire class telling us that our old teachers had taught us English wrong. I did not complete the course and had a difficult time incorporating what I previously knew and what he was teaching. I need to take another English course from a good professor in order to get a grasp on correct English grammar.
  • Yeah, I think my grammar skills are screwed up. I only took one English course in College that really screwed me up.He spent the entire class telling us that our old teachers had taught us English wrong. I did not complete the course and had a difficult time incorporating what I previously knew and what he was teaching. I need to take another English course from a good professor in order to get a grasp on correct English grammar.
    Ah, they told me that in high school. Right. Just check wikipedia with your grammar related questions. Or Google. Both are great sources. And since this is a podcast forum, you could try listening to that Grammar Girl podcast. Never listened to it, but saw it a few days back. Don't know what she discusses though.
  • edited December 2007
    How about saying it this way, is this proper grammar?

    "I am better at the English language than you: a native English speaker."
    That's questionable. It's probably acceptable for use, but it would be more correct, I imagine, to use a comma.
    Also out of curiosity, would proper grammar dictate that an additional verb or noun is needed after the word "better"? "the English language" seems a little vague as to what exactly about the English language you are better at. I know this is very picky, but I am curious as to what an English professor would dictate the most proper way to word the above noted sentence.
    It would be more proper to say "than you, a native english speaker, are", but it is not necessary. Essentially, it's being used for comparison, and the "is" is implied.
    Post edited by rhinocero on
  • Frankly, I can't blame you for those mistakes in the least. At issue is the difference between spoken, colloquial English and written English. The best way to grasp good written English is to read as much as possible, particularly academic works and nonfiction.
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