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Phxsunstoon Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Colon versus Comma

I am curious why an expression like "there are no facts, only interpretations" uses a comma rather than a colon. Should not it be "there are no facts: only interpretations"?
  

Top answer

The colon is rare. Leave it that way. A colon is not called for here.

— Enoon

  • The colon is rare.
  • Leave it that way.
  • A colon is not called for here.
  • The comma is correct, but now I have to make up a reason why, because I just know it is.
  • You can think of the comma as standing for tacit repeated words.
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7 Answers
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The colon is rare. Leave it that way. A colon is not called for here. The comma is correct, but now I have to make up a reason why, because I just know it is. You can think of the comma as standing for tacit repeated words. "There are no facts, (there are) only interpretations." Commas can do that. "Gil gave Mary seven doves, and Nancy, eight.
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phxsunstoon Should not it be "there are no facts: only interpretations"?
No, because a colon points to what follows.

These are the facts: The Atlantic Ocean separates Europe from North America. Madagascar is off the coast of Africa. ...
You should know the following: The sky is blue. The grass is green. ...

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CalifJim,I was hoping you would answer this because it is your introduction.Emotion: smile
CalifJimNo, becaus
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phxsunstoonCan you please explain why we would use a comma?
No, I can't explain it. I suppose it's just a way of showing that words are omitted — words that are an alternate end to the same sentence.

We start with this:
There are no facts. There are only interpretations.

We end with this:
There are no facts, only interpreta
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Can you explain what is the different between using the comma this way and a comma-slice?
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phxsunstoonCan you please explain why we would use a comma?
How I reason it is that the "only interpretations" is a parenthetical elements that is non-essential to the meaning of the sentence.

A parenthetical element can be an interjection, adverbial modifiers, or even an adverbial clause.
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phxsunstoonCan you explain what is the different between using the comma this way and a comma-splice?
In a comma splice you have two complete sentences separated by a comma.

CJ
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