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AIBU?

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Original poster

To contact the school over comma splices?

225 replies

CocktailQueen · 08/01/2016 18:59

Or am I being too pedantic? Grin

The school newsletter usually has a few typos, but this week the head teacher's letter but had about 8 comma splices. I winced every time.

Wibu to email her - we are acquaintances out of school - and let her know in a friendly way? I don't know if the office staff type it or she does...

Examples are

We love learning in our school, this week I was delighted to see x and y...

I hope you enjoyed the Xmas service, many thanks to the vicar...

Thank you for all your cards and Christmas gifts, we do appreciate them...

OP posts:
Roonerspism · 09/01/2016 00:09

Comma splices are lazy. (I didn't actually know this expression but I sure as hell knew it isn't correct).

If she wasn't my friend then I would pick her up on it albeit politely.

Mind you, the Scottish Education Secretary has he grammar of five year old so perhaps there is no point any more.

landrover · 09/01/2016 00:11

Ha yes this is true, but I've been out partying all night, thought id see if there was anything interesting! Wink

minifingerz · 09/01/2016 00:13

I'd never heard the phrase before, so thanks for that OP. It's very useful.

I agree that it's bloody annoying. I have busted my arse to explain the proper punctuation of sentences to my dcs. What chance do I have when teachers don't even know how to separate text into sentences?

Why can't people learn to use semi-colons ffs?

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 09/01/2016 00:13

No, ego - the comma is correct in the example you used:

Your children will need to understand how to punctuate correctly, though: they will be marked down in GCSE English for comma splicing

OP posts:
Egosumquisum · 09/01/2016 00:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 09/01/2016 00:16

mini - I agree. I love semi-colons.

sleep - yes, that's true, but grammar is well and truly on the curriculum now, and kids are taught grammar and the parts of a sentence right from the beginning, so there is more hope for the next generation!i

OP posts:
Original poster
CocktailQueen · 09/01/2016 00:20

Because 'though' is not essential to the first part of the sentence - it's added on. You could easily do without it, so it takes a comma. Plus, if you were reading the sentence you'd naturally pause there too. Does that make sense? It's late...

OP posts:
sleeponeday · 09/01/2016 00:31

Cocktail the problem with that is that the staff don't have good grammar themselves. The head wrote "Parents will be reimburst" on one occasion, which isn't solely spelling, IMO, but grammar, given she missed that she was supposed to be conjugating a verb. And I've lost count of the grammatical howlers in school reports, across three settings if you include pre-school. It's especially worrying when I remember that my own grammar isn't that great, either.

I don't see what good an emphasis on grammar does, if those teaching it don't understand it themselves.

Moln · 09/01/2016 09:26

Off all the posts from posters on this thread this one:

Your children will need to understand how to punctuate correctly, though: they will be marked down in GCSE English for comma splicing.

has made me feel the most confused.

DadWasHere and the poster that told the OP she was wrong for the comma before 'but' was wrong were great though. They were epic displays of Han's Law (we'll go with that name PrinceHans seeing you voiced it first). Also PrinceHans 'an hotel' was considered corrected because of the syllable stress. It's very archaic idea now. In the world of Plain English it shouldn't be used. One other rule of Plain English, which will make traditional grammar lovers sad, is that the use of etc. and eg. is to be no more.

I think there's one very important thing to learn from this thread; don't (publicly) correct anyone's grammar.

dontrunwithscissors · 09/01/2016 09:37

YANBU in picking up on this. However, I think you would be wasting your time if you raised it with the HT.

I have had 18 year olds coming to my university who don't know how to use capital letters. Fuck knows what they've been taught at school and how they managed to get good enough grades at A level/Highers.

Cinnamon2013 · 09/01/2016 09:57

I can't see the issue with the third sentence. Might have been clearer if you had written out the full sentences.

There is a place for pedantry, and this isn't it. If it were on course materials - fair enough. I think you'd look like a pretty awful person if you complained. Primary purpose of a newsletter is communication - ok, so it's not perfect, but the meaning's clear enough. (I worked for ten years as editor, fwiw).

Cinnamon2013 · 09/01/2016 09:58

an editor, fgs. iPhones have the power to destroy us all

Moln · 09/01/2016 10:36

"Off all the posts"

Moln · 09/01/2016 10:38

Or even.

😂

FrancesNiadova · 09/01/2016 10:43
Biscuit
Original poster
CocktailQueen · 09/01/2016 10:45

Love this! Hans' law coming to bite us all on the butt.

cinnamon - I didn't put all the sentences as I didn't want them to be too identifying.

OP posts:
Dumdedumdedum · 09/01/2016 10:46

I thought I was a fully-fledged grammar pedant, but had never heard of a comma splice before today; I think they may not have existed when I did my English 'A' level forty years ago. (I got so few points on that quiz from the university where I studied English for two years as a secondary subject I am Blushing - but then, I didn't actually read the splice rule first Grin )

FrancesNiadova · 09/01/2016 10:49

cocktail queen would you be as eager to correct the head in a large secondary school?

Egosumquisum · 09/01/2016 10:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AppleSetsSail · 09/01/2016 10:59

It's not something I would even consider complaining about because it strikes me as something closer to a stylistic choice than an error (regardless of what it might technically be).

Save your fire for something more worthwhile, like the pernicious reflexive error.

chandelierswinging · 09/01/2016 11:09

It pisses me off too. I didn't realise I was such a pedant about it until the DCs started school. The last school newsletter I received during a very bad tempered moment, I actually corrected them all, plus the other spelling/grammatical errors Blush I realised I couldn't be a total twat though and do anything with it, so I put it in the recycling, as normal. I wouldn't ever actually do anything about this although I do agree it sends out completely the wrong message about a school if the newsletter is littered with mistakes but I'm not sure what the answer is.

AppleSetsSail · 09/01/2016 11:13

chandelier I suggest you retire from pedantry ASAP.

tomatodizzy · 09/01/2016 11:15

You winced at comma splices? Shock Please tell me you are taking the piss!

Dumdedumdedum · 09/01/2016 11:15

Started googling "pernicious reflexive" thinking it was a rule which must have been created after my time Wink

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 09/01/2016 11:20

Wow, in common with many of you, I've never heard of a comma splice before and am almost certainly guilty of using them!

But I wouldn't email the Head to tell her. Apart from anything else, you're almost certain to fall foul of Muphry's Law if you do.