[Info-vax] Long uptime cut short by Hurricane Sandy

AEF spamsink2001 at yahoo.com
Sun Feb 3 13:51:49 EST 2013


On Feb 3, 1:36 pm, AEF <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Feb 3, 1:20 am, hel... at astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de (Phillip Helbig---
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> undress to reply) wrote:
> > In article
> > <84225a72-5d5a-44b6-8076-2d2f954a6... at 5g2000yqz.googlegroups.com>, AEF
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> > <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> writes:
> > > Execute, not liberate.
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> > > Execute not, liberate.
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> > > The comma makes all the difference in the world.
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> > Indeed.  In general, I adhere to the rule that, in a list, there should
> > be no comma before the "and" (since there isn't when there are just two
> > items connected by "and"), but there are exceptions needed for clarity.
> > There was the student who wrote:
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> >    I dedicate this thesis to my parents, God and L. Ron Hubbard.
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> I've read (in what was once, if not still, the grammar lady site) that
> it's best to always use the serial comma. She said it's always right,
> and leaving it out can cause an error, as you stated above. However,
> an article in wikipedia says that it's not always correct. Go figure.
>
> AEF

Another reason I like the serial comma is that one normally pauses at
that point.

One says: blah1 and blah2
But for three or more: blah,(pause), blah2(pause), and blah3

I like commas where there should be a pause.

AEF



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