Commas Gone Wild
Signs of the Times?
"The official, said the question was not 'if it will be published, but when,' referring to the new ruling about homosexuality in Catholic seminaries, a topic that has stirred much recent rumor and worry in the church." [A1]
And then this: "The images coming out of this impoverished, West African nation have been unrelentingly grim...." [A3]
I suppose you could make a case on behalf of this second one, but it would be a stretch.
"The official, said the question was not 'if it will be published, but when,' referring to the new ruling about homosexuality in Catholic seminaries, a topic that has stirred much recent rumor and worry in the church." [A1]
And then this: "The images coming out of this impoverished, West African nation have been unrelentingly grim...." [A3]
I suppose you could make a case on behalf of this second one, but it would be a stretch.
posted by DO at 9:55 AM
9 Comments:
My theory is that commas are viral -- they reproduce and try to insert themselves into the DNA of perfectly good sentences for their own ends.
My NYT style manual (from 1976 - but it was free) says: "Between adjectives in a series or a pair, use a comma if the adjectives are of equal significance--that is, if they could sensibly be connected by AND: a tired, disillusioned politician; quick, easy solutions. But: a gray iron cot; a wiry old carpenter"
[this impoverished AND West African nation] I don't think so.
As for the first comma, it's still there online at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/international/europe/22vatican.html.
Then the comma is gone at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/international/europe/22vaticancnd.html. So they see the error of their ways.
I've considered taking the NYT copy editing test, but I think I prefer semi-retirement.
Sorry, the URLs got cut off. Just search on the NYT site for the offending sentence, and you'll get both versions.
And welcome back to blogland.
My theory is that proofreading is a dying art. (I guess that makes me a dying artist.) So, instead, of preventing misreading the NYT, is promoting it.
My other theory is that the NYT just laid off its proofreaders in that recent 4 percent cutback (not to be confused with "cut back"). The only good news is there's no comma between "West" and "African."
P.S. I believe "West African nation" would be considered an open compound, meaning it reads (acts?) as a unit, therefore "impoverished" modifies the entire unit, not just "nation." So no comma after "impoverished."
My theory is that proofreading is a dying art. (I guess that makes me a dying artist.) So, instead, of preventing misreading the NYT, is promoting it.
My other theory is that the NYT just laid off its proofreaders in that recent 4 percent cutback (not to be confused with "cut back"). The only good news is there's no comma between "West" and "African."
P.S. I believe "West African nation" would be considered an open compound, meaning it reads (acts?) as a unit, therefore "impoverished" modifies the entire unit, not just "nation." So no comma after "impoverished."
sorry about the double post . . . my computer is a simpleton.
Oh, no. Oh no no no no no.
You really are not aiding my goal of overlooking NYT's proofreading snafus so that I can maintain faith in the existence of an ideal, error-free national publication. [Ellen's rule worked beautifully there!]
And Erin, your theory is brilliant.
It's difficult to understand, what, something means when a, comma, is plopped in willy-nilly.
Does anyone remember a 'recommendation letter' that, with judicious addition of commas, could be turned into a 'dis-recommendation letter'? I am pretty sure this predates the web by years, but I think I've seen it online too.
The only quote I remember was something like "you'll be lucky to get him to work for you". (However, this quote has a double meaning without the commas, so maybe I'm just combining this thread with that letter in my head.)
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