If there are particular problems in English or matters you would like this column to take up, contact Stewart Clark, International Office, NTH, tel. 73 59 52 45.

Punctuation 3:

COMMA

When to use commas in English? When you speak, you help your listeners by signalling the meaning with changes in intonation and pauses. When you are writing, you should give your readers similar help by using commas for such signals. If in doubt about comma use, read your text aloud, it may help. Otherwise, here are some other comments about commas:

Use a comma to mark the boundary of a "preliminary" unit at the start of a sentence.
Frequently, we begin sentences with a single word or a longer word-group to indicate time, place, manner, reason etc. Such openings should be followed by a comma:
... Tomorrow, ...
... Immediately, ...
... Before reacting, ...

The omission of commas in preliminary positions is one of the easiest ways to confuse readers:
WROTE ... Frequently adjusted travel accounts need to be checked
MEANT ... Frequently, adjusted travel accounts need to be checked
Use commas to enclose parenthetic words, phrases and clauses (explanatory or qualifying information inserted in a sentence as an extra comment).
... The building, as I have said, will be hexagonal.
Adjectives in series. Use commas to separate two or more adjectives in series, when you want to emphasize that each adjective qualifies the final noun. This avoids a row of "ands".
... inexpensive, powerful, state-of-the-art software
Comma before and and other conjunctions. The basic rule is to use commas in a list of items and insert "and" before the final item. Most people remember from school that we must never use a comma before "and". However, this form of punctuation leads to trouble if the final item in the list contains an and: ... the possibilities are error, repeat and send and receive ...
The solution is to use a comma before the final and:
The Trondheim community is well-respected in technology circles for its advanced education, laboratory facilities, and research and development.
Numerals. In general, do not use a comma to indicate thousands or millions when you are writing numbers.
```
WRITE: 3000   30 000    30000000
NOT:   3,000  30,000  30,000,000
```
By not using the comma in English, you avoid the confusing English and Norwegian customs. Thus a price of NOK 15 000 per km. only has one meaning.

Tricky Words

Dissertation/Thesis

In British universities it is usual to write a dissertation for a first or master's degree. A thesis is normally written in partial fulfilment of a doctoral degree. In American universities, the situation is reversed. So when writing a "dr.ing. avhandling", the choice of British English (BE) or American English (AE) goes further than the spelling. In BE, the "avhandling" is correctly termed a doctoral thesis. In AE, this will be a doctoral dissertation. Note that the plural of thesis is written theses and pronounced "thee-seas".

About/Approximately/Circa In English, about or approximately are used where cirka is frequent in Norwegian. Approximately is usually placed before a numeral and approx. after a numeral:
Approximately NOK 3 500 per tonne, or NOK 3 500 per tonne approx.

Circa is rare in English and is normally restricted to date objects:
The house is circa 1760. The normal abbreviation is ca. (ca. 1867)

Enlightening English · "Please follow cautiously your safety instructions as an entertainment more in your flight.
Do not hesitate to ask any questions you have about its interpretation.
On an emergency during this flight, you will be precisely instructed about what you should do.
Do not forget the crew members are accurately trained experts.
Please, follow the instructions you receive and above all keep quiet!"
(In-flight safety leaflet, Iberia)

Updated 03.05.95, Christian Viken, chrisvik@stud.unit.no