English lesson: commas...

[SineSwiper]

<div style='font: 11pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>I really get screwed up on what the correct usage of commas are in certain situations, and it's annoying. For example, what is the proper use of the word "say" with commas?

1. <i>What happens if you, say, play hide and go fuck yourself?</i>
2. <i>What happens if you say, play hide and go fuck yourself?</i>
3. <i>What happens if you, say play hide and go fuck yourself?</i>

I would think #1, but what about this sentence?

<i>It is still a carrot, just like apple is still a parrot, and not, say, a tulip, even though there is a tulip on the road.</i>

What do you do about that mess in the middle: "parrot, and not, say, a tulip, even"? Is that even correctable, or is that proper English already? Anybody else gets tripped up over this?</div>

[ManaMan]

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>In this case, you put the comma where you want there to be a pause.</div>

[Kupek]

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>Your uses of "say" are appositives, so you use a comma. If you think it looks akward - I do - reword the sentence. There's often a simpler way to say it.</div>

[Flip]

<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>#1 is defenitely right.</div>

[Flip]

<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>i use the double comma thing a lot. The rule of thumb is that the sentence should sound correct as if the words in between the comma werent een there.


The first thing is wrong. The second thing is right.

The first thing is wrong. The second thing, however, is right.

How about you go play hide and go fuck yourself.

How about you, say, go play hide and go fuck yourself.</div>

[Zeus]

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>The say you're using the word "say", it MUST be separated by commas. It's a thrown-in word that doesn't really belong but is, rather, an expression or enhancement to the sentence (much like my "rather")</div>