This is a thread for asking any questions you may have regarding how to write properly - i.e. Grammar Nazi Heaven.

I'll start:

I was once told that commas are only used in a sentence when you would pause for a second when talking, thus I didn't use a comma until I just used one right there like ten or so words ago, because I would have paused there if I was speaking out load. However, I see that a lot of people always put a comma before words like 'though' and 'too' at the end of a sentence. For example: "I'm going to the store, too" has a comma before 'too', but, if I was saying it, I wouldn't pause in my speech before 'too' - it would just be one continuos stream of words.

So what's the consensus on whether or not a comma goes before words like the ones mentioned, at the end of a sentence? Is it an 'anything goes'-type-deal or what? I'm confused.

This has always confused the fuck out of me. From what I gather, when you use too in the sense of no less/nevertheless then you don't use a comma, but when you're using it to mean as well then you do use it. And though is always supposed to have a comma before it at the end of a sentence.

But I could be wrong. I learned all my grammar through osmosis and am by no means a grammar nazi.

I do what feels right at the time.
I'm not helpful. -.-

Noth:
"because I would have paused there if I was speaking out load" --> "because I would have paused there if I were speaking out loud"
It's a subjunctive phrase.
rezu:
"From what I've gathered"
Past tense should be used when speaking about a past event.


Oh, and I agree with noth on the comma issue, it hurts the flow of words.

I promote Scarface to 'high commander' of the Grammar Nazi patrol of this thread

PS You should have spelled 'Noth' w/ a capital in your last sentence because it's a proper noun

the whole thing about using commas when you would pause during speech is a lie. We got taught that because teachers thought we wouldn't understand the proper grammatical use of commas. I understand a few ways to use them, but there are some things I'm not sure about.
to separate items in lists.
to separate adjectives, e.g. round, smooth, hard, curve. (this may have been changed now actually so that commas are no longer used)
to separate phrases which could be grammatically sound as separate sentences, e.g. She smiled at me, I had to talk to her. In this sense they can be used interchangeably with semi-colons and dashes.
sometimes before random words like 'but', 'or' and 'and'. i wanted to go to school, but I wasn't feeling well. In this case commas aren't grammatically required, but they help separate parts of a sentence.
After conditionals: if you want to be good, you have to practise. when I play football, I always get injured (it seemed kind of awkward in that sentence but that is, strictly speaking, correct). whenever I go outside, it starts raining. despite being injured, I played the game. although it was heavy, i carried it with ease.
After time markers: after I sleep, I have something to eat.
After words such as: however, moreover, nevertheless, thus, hence, therefore, even so, for example, etc. when they are at the beginning of the sentence.
to insert a phrase about the sentence inside the sentence: I played ma jolie, a tune by BvS, until I fell asleep.
after a complete phrase and in front of an incomplete one: i live on that road there, the one with the red lorry. A dash could be used here as well.
before or after speech. She asked, "how old are you?" "go over there," she said. You can replace the comma with a question mark if needed.

I personally don't use a comma if it is only followed by only one or two words such as 'too', 'thus', 'for example', 'though' etc. and I haven't seen it used that way before.
there are probably more rules but I can't think of anymore right now. I use UK english so some rules are probably different.

and 'from what I gather' is an idiom which for some reason is exempt from common sense rules. but many idioms are like that I guess.

Woohoo! Grammar Wars!

Since SV22 has put up a link for the usage of the comma, I'll just stick to correcting Scarface's corrections.



Actually, it's not a subjunctive phrase at all. It's the apotasis of a present contrafactual conditional sentence, in which it is not the subjunctive, but rather only the simple past or pluperfect tenses of the indicative which are acceptable. The protasis that Noth wrote was in the simple past, which is correct.



You're right that thepast tense should be used when speaking about apast event. But rezu wasn't writing about a past event that ended in the past. She was writing about a past event that continues into the present. In this case, the event is rezu's "gathering". Here the verb "to gather" is being used in the sense of "to learn". The learning she's referring to is not the finite learning that takes place in this or that course or lesson, but instead the general learning of the English language which has been an ongoing part of her life and which continues into the present. You would only use the past tense instead of the perfect tense when speaking of a single event that ended in the past: From what I gathered at the meeting on Tuesday, the business is in trouble. When the action is continuative or durative the present perfect is the correct tense: From what I've gathered at the meetings that I've been attending, the business is in trouble.

I love this thread
Saigyo, you're also promoted, to whatever you want, .

"It's the apodosis of a present counter-factual conditional sentence"

And yes, it was a conditional 2 sentence.

Regarding rezu's continual "gathering", she said herself that she learned her grammar in the past.
"I learned all my grammar through osmosis and am by no means a grammar nazi."
Assuming gathering is used in the same sense of "learning", and her "gathering" might have stopped because she is not a "grammar nazi", it would be somewhat ambiguous as to whether she should have used past tense.
AKA - This dispute cannot be settled.


Looks like I'll be the first Jewish grammar Nazi patrol officer.

Grammar is important! Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your Uncle jack off a horse.

So, it is "from what I've gathered" and Scarface just used the wrong name for the present perfect?

LOL!

You're right. I wouldn't want anyone to think my Uncle Jack needs any help getting off a horse.

I would like to note that I always like when people correct my spelling and punctuation! Some people find it annoying - I do not; quite the contrary; I appreciate it. I've always thought that getting paid to write, even as a small source of income, would be totally awesome. I mean, I love writing - I do it here all the time for free. But, I'm not the greatest at it. So if any grammar Nazis can help me improve, that would be great.

I'm a linguistic descriptivist, so I don't think there are right or wrong answers to these questions. However, if you are looking for some authority to reassure you about the kinds of self-expression that are acceptable in polite society, you might check out a style guide. These are typically intended for use in a specific field or professional context, like parts of academia or publishing houses -- even specific newspapers. But there are also some "general use" style guides, such as the popular The Elements of Style (aka Strunk and White). There's also the Chicago Manual of Style, which is probably a good investment if you want to be a professional writer.

These are both in copyright and I'm not sure how HikiCulture feels about torrents, so I'll just leave a couple links to Amazon. They're cheap used, in any case.
http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Manual-St ... 0226103897
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fo ... 020530902X

Hope that helps!