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Quick comma usage question

  • 03-06-2011 2:33pm
    #1
    NoQuarter
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,632 ✭✭✭


    Hi guys, just having a little argument with a friend over comma usage.

    Is it correct to say:

    "Happy birthday, beautiful". or would it just be "happy birthday beautiful".

    Or "Good evening, Peter" or simply "good evening Peter"??

    Can anyone tell us the correct one and point to a rule for this thanks?


Comments

  • #2
    Crasp
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Crasp


    I always use the comma, so I hope that's right!


  • #3
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 35,530 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Thank you for logging in, BossArky.

    I would not use it in "Hello Peter" so I'm not sure why my first instinct was to put a comma in "Good evening, Peter"
    I think if I were a bond villain I would have the comma there.


  • #4
    emeraldstar
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,383 ✭✭✭emeraldstar


    With the comma.


  • #5
    FlutterinBantam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    NoQuarter wrote: »
    Hi guys, just having a little argument with a friend over comma usage.

    Is it correct to say:

    "Happy birthday, beautiful". or would it just be "happy birthday beautiful".

    Or "Good evening, Peter" or simply "good evening Peter"??

    Can anyone tell us the correct one and point to a rule for this thanks?

    I would use Happy birthday, beautiful

    And ...Good evening Peter.

    Main function of the comma is to: Illuminate the grammar of the sentence

    To point up.

    Take the first sentence It would imply, without the comma"Happy birthday beautiful, that the person considered his/her birthday as beautiful .

    With the comma, implies that the person is referring to another person.

    Lynn Truss P70 E/S/aL


  • #6
    BOHtox
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,314 ✭✭✭BOHtox


    Yes you do use a comma.


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  • #7
    peckerhead
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,383 ✭✭✭peckerhead


    BOHtox wrote: »
    Yes, you do use a comma.
    FYP.

    Use it, both times.


  • #8
    Yakuza
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,141 ✭✭✭Yakuza


    "Hello, Peter."
    "Good evening, Peter."
    "Happy Birthday, Peter."
    "Good morning, Vietnam."

    Commas every time for me. You're addressing someone / something => vocative case => use a comma.
    A.K.A. the vocative comma.


  • #9
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 35,530 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Yakuza wrote: »
    "Good morning, Vietnam."

    That really would not have worked on the radio. The implied pause and tone shift would have ruined it.


  • #10
    Yakuza
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,141 ✭✭✭Yakuza


    pickarooney wrote: »
    That really would not have worked on the radio. The implied pause and tone shift would have ruined it.

    That's as may be, but the (written) title of the movie is as above.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093105/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Morning,_Vietnam


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