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just a missplaced comma | by Rhinobird | 2000-06-03 02:57:59 |
| RE: just a missplaced comma |
by Deniz |
2000-06-03 09:31:51 |
| Rhinobird wrote:
>the sentence seems just fine to me. How about I fragged him, but good? is that any better? I've used that " XXXX'd YYYY but good." sentence myself a few time.
Ahhh, no. Examine: He would have triumphed but for one fatal error. Notice, if a comma were stuck in there, it just wouldn't make sense. Of course, this is an intuitive use of 'but'. Further examples: I all but died laughing; and all but one.
In the comic, we are seeing an idiomatic usage which is slightly counter-intuitive if you think about it too much. I know there are examples. Each time I hear this phrase I think about how unintuitive it is, but for the life of me I couldn't come up with one now.
Well, I can still explain why there shouldn't be a comma. If you have a sentence which contains /, but/ the combination of the comma and 'but' indicate you are breaking the sentence into two seperate phrases. If whatever follows the but cannot stand alone as a phrase (like "but good"), then the comma does not belong and you have just confused your audience. An example of /, but/ being used properly is in my previous paragraph.
*sigh* This is what happens when you start working as a technical writer and discover yourself becoming a "word nerd". Just yesterday I explained the difference between 'instantiate' and 'initiate' to my boss. At least I'm working for developers and not users. :) |
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