Post by wildsky on Feb 21, 2014 9:38:45 GMT
I'm in no place to make the first thread of a new forum, but since there are other threads in this forum, just in other places, I thought I might introduce the general section. (Disclaimer: anything I say is purely speculation of a general user and should not be taken for word of a moderator or administrator. If you have any questions, please send one of the approved mods/admins a question, and they will be happy to help.) (Not entirely sure why I wanted to add a disclaimer, but maybe because I take on a mod-like mood whenever I'm doing stuff at 4AM. Whatever. Enjoy it.)
So, before I begin, I thought I might say something about why this general area exists despite the sub-forums providing what seems to be the bulk of this thread. I'm assuming it's because this general area is for general questions, topics, et cetera. If you have a question on something grammatical, character development, what's okay/not okay, and so on, post it here! But if you want someone to take a look at your character and see what's wrong with it, post in the critique requests.
Additionally, this general area can be used for something that I'm about to do, which is basically a small post on something RP related. I'm going to do it on the Oxford comma, as that is entirely harmless (haaaah) and can't cause ANY discussions as to whether it should be used or not (HAAAAAH). I'll be describing what the Oxford comma is and why it is used, as well as pointing out any disadvantages to using it. Well. That's the theory, at least. It's closer to 4:30 now, so I'm getting a tiny bit tired.
So, before I begin, I thought I might say something about why this general area exists despite the sub-forums providing what seems to be the bulk of this thread. I'm assuming it's because this general area is for general questions, topics, et cetera. If you have a question on something grammatical, character development, what's okay/not okay, and so on, post it here! But if you want someone to take a look at your character and see what's wrong with it, post in the critique requests.
Additionally, this general area can be used for something that I'm about to do, which is basically a small post on something RP related. I'm going to do it on the Oxford comma, as that is entirely harmless (haaaah) and can't cause ANY discussions as to whether it should be used or not (HAAAAAH). I'll be describing what the Oxford comma is and why it is used, as well as pointing out any disadvantages to using it. Well. That's the theory, at least. It's closer to 4:30 now, so I'm getting a tiny bit tired.
- - - - -
THE OXFORD COMMA
The Oxford comma is, at the end of the day, a comma in a specific use. It's not a fancy comma that you do to denote something special, nope. It's literally just a comma that breaks up things in a list. But! It's a special one in the list. Let me demonstrate.
The Oxford comma is, at the end of the day, a comma in a specific use. It's not a fancy comma that you do to denote something special, nope. It's literally just a comma that breaks up things in a list. But! It's a special one in the list. Let me demonstrate.
"Do you want eggs, bacon, or ham?" "Do you want eggs, bacon or ham?"
The first one is the usage of the Oxford comma, the second one is the absence of it. There are many reasons why it's a good thing to use, but most of those "reason" are simply people defending something silly that they love. It truly has no purpose in my definition of grammar (which I will refrain from posting here, if you'd like to know what it is, feel free to message me), but it is something grammatical nonetheless. Now, the biggest argument for it is that without it, it can be mistaken for an appositive. Let me demonstrate.
"I'm going out with my friends, Idiot and Asshole." "I'm going out with my friends, Idiot, and Asshole."
As you can see, the former indicates that Idiot and Asshole are the narrators friends, whereas the former states that his friends are explicitly separate from Idiot and Asshole. Of course, any type of context will almost always make the point moot, so there's little going for either. It's just a silly little thing that people fight for and against for the same reason as .gif pronunciations.
At the end of the day, what's the most important thing is that you stay consistent. A lack of consistency is a problem, so I would highly recommend getting used to one or the other, and sticking with it. Of course, there's a lot of times where one of these is "better" than the other, but if you prefer either, then you can always find ways of working around it.
(Note: I prefer the Oxford Comma. I am trying to leave my emotions at above the dashy-line-thing, but THE OXFORD COMMA MUST RUUUUUULE.)
At the end of the day, what's the most important thing is that you stay consistent. A lack of consistency is a problem, so I would highly recommend getting used to one or the other, and sticking with it. Of course, there's a lot of times where one of these is "better" than the other, but if you prefer either, then you can always find ways of working around it.
(Note: I prefer the Oxford Comma. I am trying to leave my emotions at above the dashy-line-thing, but THE OXFORD COMMA MUST RUUUUUULE.)
