Hi all, Have been fairly inactive for awhile, but now getting back in the swing of things. So I decided to take a shot at this one, before I read anyone else's responses...
To me, your example looks awkward, even incorrect. And, according to that old stand-by, the Chicago Manual of Style, if the dependent clause (in this case, beginning with the word "if") is restrictive-that is, it cannot be deleted without altering the meaning of the sentence-then a comma is not required. If the dependent clause is nonrestrictive, meaning it *can* be deleted without significantly altering the meaning of the statement, then it is required. In this case, that would mean that the comma is not required or expected. In any case, I would counsel against constructing a statement, such as the one you provided as an example, with the dependent clause at the end. I very strongly feel that conditional statements should always, always, ALWAYS place the condition *before* the action. Otherwise, the careless user (and there are a LOT of them out there) will typically perform the action and *then* read the condition and then go "Oops!" (or worse). So, I would never write a statement for users like the one you provide as an example. FWIW... Now I'll go read what others have opined. Hope this helps, Chuck Beck www.swan-cross.com -----Original Message----- From: tcp-boun...@techcommpros.com [mailto:tcp-boun...@techcommpros.com] On Behalf Of raj nair Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2010 10:57 To: tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: [TCP] Comma before clauses beginning with 'if" It is well-known that a comma is used if an "if" clause is at the beginning of a sentence. Is there a rule, an exception, where the reverse is true? For example, can this punctuation be right? Select the statement cache size, if you get a warning mesaage. Please share your thoughts. _________________________________________________________________ The world in moving pictures http://news.in.msn.com/gallery/archive.aspx ______________________________________________ ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and publishing solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals. Download Free Trial. www.doctohelp.comhttp://www.techcommpros.com/componentone/ Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email t...@techcommpros.com. Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to tcp-subscr...@techcommpros.com Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to tcp-unsubscr...@techcommpros.com Need help? Contact listad...@techcommpros.com Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com ______________________________________________ ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and publishing solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals. Download Free Trial. www.doctohelp.comhttp://www.techcommpros.com/componentone/ Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email t...@techcommpros.com. Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to tcp-subscr...@techcommpros.com Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to tcp-unsubscr...@techcommpros.com Need help? Contact listad...@techcommpros.com Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
