RE: Comma question

Subject: RE: Comma question
From: "Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>
To: Tony Chung <tonyc -at- tonychung -dot- ca>, Karen Felker <akaren -at- earthlink -dot- net>
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:38:48 -0700

Tony Chung wrote:

> It doesn't help that you don't have a complete sentence. A missing subject
> can cloud anyone's perception of how the language is used.. While this
> style is common in API docs, just know that the comma rules should
> technically follow a proper sentence structure.

Implied subjects aren't limited to imperative sentences. I think most grammarians would agree that if the implied subject is clear from the context, the sentence is just fine. That's the case not just in API docs or Karen's table of algorithms, but in any table or list of items followed by descriptions of what they do.

| Accelerator | Makes the car go forward.
| Brake pedal | Makes the car stop.

The implied subject of each sentence on the right is the term on the left.

Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-903-6372
------








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Follow-Ups:

References:
Comma question: From: Karen Felker
Re: Comma question: From: Tony Chung

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