Pedants' Paradise

[jean]

No, he's being ironic.

[Padraig]

No, he's being ironic.

Yes I am jean. But that can be a tricky one. Trust me.

[jean]

Yes I am jean.

No you're not!

Commas, young man, commas!

[Serial_Apologist]

No you're not!

Commas, young man, commas!

Shouldn't there be a comma there between "No" and "you're not"? Otherwise it's unclear as to whether you are referring to Padraig being ironic, or to his not being you!

[vinteuil]

.

... I love the fact that Wordsworth was so insecure abt commas and other punctuation issues that he sent the ms of the Lyrical Ballads to Humphry Davy (of Davy lamp fame) - whom he had never met - to tidy up commas and sich and send on to the publishers...

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/sep/30/punctuation-commas-apostrophes-wordsworth

[jean]

Shouldn't there be a comma there between "No" and "you're not"? Otherwise it's unclear as to whether you are referring to Padraig being ironic, or to his not being you!

A comma would have been optional there, I agree; but it would not have helped you distinguish which part of Padraig's statement I was challenging.

I hoped to make that clear by quoting just a part of his post.

And then, you know, it was I who assigned irony to him in the first place, so I'd hardly be the one to want to deny it to him so soon afterwards!

[jean]

.

As we're on the subject...this is a surprising piece of punctuation.

What I do if I want to space what I've written more generously than the software allows is to choose an invisivle colour, and put some kind of mark within it.

.

(Click Reply With Quote and you'll see what I've done.)

[Serial_Apologist]

A comma would have been optional there, I agree; but it would not have helped you distinguish which part of Padraig's statement I was challenging.

I hoped to make that clear by quoting just a part of his post.

And then, you know, it was I who assigned irony to him in the first place, so I'd hardly be the one to want to deny it to him so soon afterwards!

Unless you were being doubly ironic - which had occurred to me!

[Serial_Apologist]

As we're on the subject...this is a surprising piece of punctuation.

What I do if I want to space what I've written more generously than the software allows is to choose an invisivle colour, and put some kind of mark within it.

.

(Click Reply With Quote and you'll see what I've done.)

[Padraig]

No you're not!

Commas, young man, commas!

Yes, you are perfectly right, jean.

For how long must I stand in the corner?

[ardcarp]

'The Naughty Step' is, I think, padraig, the more PC term, but, I am sure, you meant no offence by 'corner, dear man.

[Padraig]

but, I am sure, you meant no offence by 'corner

I am certain that I didn't, ardcarp. I shall try google to see if I can find what you think my offence could have been. However, I can't see myself, or anyone over 3 years of age, taking 'The Naughty Step' seriously.

[jean]

[Padraig]

And so, I retire, puzzled and defeated, by a word whose use I thought I understood perfectly well, and a cartoon treatment of a more correct phrase meaning 'standing in the corner'. In the immortal words of my old primary school teacher: 'Is it me? Or is it you?'

[vinteuil]

.

... and what / who were the 'corner-boys' in Flann O'Brien?

"Relevant excerpt from the Press: A number of men, stated to be labourers, was arraigned before Mr Lamphall in the District Court yesterday morning on charges of riotous assembly and malicious damage. Accused were described by Superintendent Clohessy as a gang of corner-boys whose horseplay in the streets was the curse of the Ringsend district [. . .] On the occasion of the last escapade, two windows were broken in a tram-car the property of the Dublin United Tramway Company."

[ At Swim-Two-Birds ]