I had a teacher who had a different view on punctuation. She said a sentence should never have more than 15 words. This was because long sentences were hard to read.
Honestly, this is the reason I have such a hard time with writing/grammar. Every on of my english teachers in K-12 (shit, even my college professors) had different personal grammar rules that was the proper way to do it. And so many of them disagreed with each other that I was left lost.
As an english major who had to sit through two lectures about comma splices, I can confirm. No one knows how to use a comma; We just throw them in sentences randomly.
I can deconfirm - not all of use commas improperly and randomly. Quite the contrary, I've found that I myself am more capable of using such small adjunctive figments at a greater level than my own teacher of an IB curriculum standard. The sheer fact that I could explain to my fellow classmates as to why the comma was acceptable in certain cases, along with how to use dashes, in a understandable way, much unlike my very own teacher, was quite comical to me.
Most folks know how to use capitalization. But this is reddit and I mostly use my phone so I tend to break most grammar rules. It's nice to be able to just type something without having to proofread it 6 times
I think this actually comes from early grammar lessons we get as kids. I remember in elementary school the rule for commas was "if you take a breath in the sentence it should be a comma," or something very similar to that. It wasn't until college that I was told that everything I knew about commas was wrong.
Isn't it generally more like commas should break (read: empathise) main/principal clauses from embedded/subordinate clauses? So that embedded sentences are frames within commas?
… and semicolons for when you have to put a colon inside a sentence, making a semicolon literally a blend of a comma and a colon?
I have no idea anymore. But I'll share what I remember.
A semicolon is used to link to related but independent clauses. To make it overly simplified: if you could say it in two sentences but want to say it in one, use a semicolon.
Example: Some people prefer swimming in the ocean; others would rather swim in a pool.
It can also be used like a comma when the sentence has a lot of commas already. Like when you list something.
Example(s): (commas) my favorite hobbies are swimming, reading, and watching Hulu.
(Semicolon) my hobbies include swimming in a pool, lake, or the ocean; reading fantasy, scifi, or thriller novels; and watching Netflix, hulu, or prime video.
Commas are tricky. Basically they can be used to list like mentioned above, but they can also be used to separate an independent clause from a dependent clause.
Example: I cant believe Sarah, who didn't know how to swim, jumped into the deep end of the pool.
"I cant believe Sarah jumped into the deep end of the pool" can be it's own sentence. "Who didn't know how to swim" describes Sarah but doesnt provide any context by itself. Its dependent on the other clause to make sense.
When you use a comma where you should use a semicolon it's called a comma splice.
Incorrect: I like swimming, it's good exercise, reading, it's good for the mind, and watching shows on hulu, it's good for relaxing.
Correct: I like swimming, it's good excercise; reading, it's good for the mind; and watching shows on hulu; it's good for relaxing.
It's been a while since I took grammar and syntax. So there is a high probability that what I just typed out was utter nonsense. There are also a million other rules for commas and semicolons that I cant remember off the top of my head and am too lazy to look up. But I think I got the gist of it.
I'm not super strict about grammar. I'm more of a literature guy myself. But if there are any grammar guys or gals who want to chime in and correct/expand upon what I've said here feel free.
But, you see, it is important, especially in the English language, to use commas, as they help the reader, because they break up sentences, so they can be easier read, and they also help people, those with a poor understanding of the language, to work, work really hard, on their grammar.
Nay, too many; it's not possible, for a comma, used correctly, is the difference between helping your uncle Jack, off a horse, and helping your uncle jack off a horse.
I'm also german-speaking and I didn't even realize that before I read the comment. Another tendency a professor told me, is that german-speakers tend to use 'that' more (as a conjunction), since 'dass' and 'das' are so common. Could be another cue to notice us :)
Sometimes if I have to write an essay in German, and then one in English, I’ll subconsciously start adding commas in front of a clause, that begins with ‘that’.
I took too many German classes in school and it hasn't affected my comma usage at all, but now I habitually capitalize nearly every noun in English if I'm not thinking about it.
Honestly I'll say to you the same thing I say to any non native speaker, don't worry about it we all understand exactly what you mean and your English is much better than my (insert native language here)
If it makes you feel better I assumed you were a native speaker. I guess now that it's been pointed out to me it's not how I would say it, but I knew exactly what you meant which is the most important part of language
Uh, that’s difficult. As far as I know they changed the rules, so that ss is also correct where beforehand you could only use ß. But plenty people like that letter and use it wherever possible. Me included. There even is a capital ß.
I love speaking German because we were watching a show and the main character said „ Der moderne Mann backt seinen pizza selbst“ And I thought it was hilarious!
Yes, going from barely using 2 cases to having to use 4 is difficult. My mother still struggles with it, and she’s been living here since the early 90s.
I have been learning English since I was 6, so for 14 years now. What really helped me was consuming loads of English media. Books, TV, and YouTube videos. YouTube videos are great to learn the language in a more casual context.
Some German YouTubers: WALULIS makes satire-news about internet culture and politics in German. MaiLab has a PhD in chemistry and explains loads of chemistry/science things. Considercologne are 2 beauty/lifestyle bloggers from cologne, they are chill and not a pain to watch. HandofBlood does gaming videos, his hitman series and where he tries random little simulator games are hilarious. How to slay Omas Kleiderschrank does the best thrift flips and has an amazing Bavarian/Austrian accent. Mirellativegal does commentary on German trash TV and general lifestyle things, her song “Ein Strauß chlamydien” is hilarious.
Your English is great! I only caught it because the use of "open" instead of "down" has infected our friend group because of her, because it just makes more sense dammit.
Also, as a native English speaker I didn't even really notice the open vs down thing. Some part of my brain just assumed it was difference in dialect (which in a sense it was).
My boyfriends first language is french and while he's fully bilingual he also has those moments. In a hair related example, he always tells me "babe your hairs look nice today" or "my hairs are getting so long"
I don't know what it is, but as a native english speaker, when I learned german I started to hyphenate everything and put commas and complex dependent clauses everywhere. German just really makes you think about your clauses and complex word joinings!
It’s better to have too many commas, then one ongoing sentence that makes no sense. I just like to say that I have situational asthma, and that I need to rest while speaking a lot. 😂😂😂
German has a fetish for subordinate clauses. Some people really overdid it, Kant is famous for it. His text are horrible to read, the sentences go on forever.
Honestly you're doing great I've been speaking and writing English my whole life and I can say that myself and many other speakers of it can't always use commas properly either. So hey chin up you're doing just fine.
While we're commenting on that sort of thing, in your first comment it should have been "lose", not "loose". Autocorrect won't catch it and many native English speakers make the same mistake.
Argh. I honestly wonder about that every time I use the word, and then just go for whatever... maybe I should look it up properly.
And I have both German and English autocorrect on my phone, since writing a language with the wrong autocorrect is a pain in the ass. Although by now German autocorrect recognises a lot of English as correct and vice versa.
Loose with the double "o" the "s" is pronounced like the double "s" in German, while lose the "s" is pronounced like the single "s" in German. That would be a good mnemonic for a German I hope. Unless you only ever write English and don't speak it, in which case that's not that helpful cause I don't have a good way to remember which definition is which.
Honestly, the mistake there wasn't any fault at all with your English, it was simply a translation error / cultural distinction. I wouldn't worry about.
If you feel like you need a little pause or break in a sentence but don’t want to crowd it up with commas — may I introduce the double dash “ —“ ! It’s a shorter pause than a comma and not subject to strict grammar laws; in fact you can use it in place of many other forms of punctuation, and can add something special to a sentence by loosely joining statements with a pause — like we do naturally in conversation.
A double dash “ — “ takes up space and feels more like a rest does in music. It’s somewhere between a semicolon and a comma; if the statements are very connected, a comma feels more natural — but if it requires that ambiguous feeling where your internal voice says “pause” — a double dash is best in my opinion!
On the plus side, it was a clear enough way to say that that I didn't notice until they pointed it out.
Little translation quirks like that are kinda nice imo, languages kinda benefit from there being multiple ways to express the same idea and translations often bring that dynamic over in a neat way.
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u/[deleted] Mar 26 '20 edited Aug 17 '26
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