English / Grammar question

[+Mystic MVC]

I know Neowin isn't known for its brilliant grammar but I was writing a paper and thought I would ask a question. I have the sentence:

Those questions include: who am I, where am I going, and how am I going to get there.

I'm not exactly sure how to punctuate it. Any thoughts?

Edited August 27, 2008 by Mystic

[ATGC]

I'll give it a shot.

Dunno what its about but here is what I'd replace it with.

The questions to be considered are as follows. (1) Who am I? (2) Where am I going? and (3) How am I going to get there?

[+Fahim S. MVC]

I'd just use a single question mark.

Those questions include: who am I, where am I going, and how am I going to get there?

[sibot]

A question mark after each sentence would be grammatically correct.

[Farstrider]

I would go along with something like this!

[ninjamunky]

I'd go with

Those questions include: "Who am I," "Where am I going," and "How am I going to get there?"

[C++]

Those questions include "Who am I?," "Where am I going?" and "How am I going to get there?."

[+Mystic MVC]

Here is what I currently have now.

Those questions include: Who am I? Where am I going? And how am I going to get there?

Edit: Wow, after posting there was about three more replies, I'm still reading through all of them. :p

[JamesCherrill]

I'd go with

Those questions include: "Who am I," "Where am I going," and "How am I going to get there?"

+1

[ninjamunky]

Those questions include "Who am I?," "Where am I going?" and "How am I going to get there?."

Just curious as to why you double-punctuated by adding the comma there; isn't that a no-no?

[-Vivicidal-]

Those questions include: "Who am I," "Where am I going" and "How am I going to get there?"

That's how I would do it.

[Yggdrasilly]

Just curious as to why you double-punctuated by adding the comma there; isn't that a no-no?

Actually, that's sort of allowed... the only thing is, since it's a quote, the comma should be OUTSIDE the quotation marks, not inside.

On the same line of thought, I'd include a comma after the second question as well. I know a lot of people have their differing opinions about listing things, for example...

• A, B, C and D.
  
• A, B, C, and D.
  

A slight difference, but it makes all the difference in some sentences.

[+Mystic MVC]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I never thought Neowin could turn out such grammar! :D

[ninjamunky]

Actually, that's sort of allowed... the only thing is, since it's a quote, the comma should be OUTSIDE the quotation marks, not inside.

On the same line of thought, I'd include a comma after the second question as well. I know a lot of people have their differing opinions about listing things, for example...

• A, B, C and D.
  
• A, B, C, and D.
  

A slight difference, but it makes all the difference in some sentences.

Right, I knew about that, but also commas break apart pieces of a quote that have things between them.

Such as: "Jack," she exclaimed, "Your pants are on fire!"

The comma seems really quite out of place next to that question mark.

[Guest]

Actually, that's sort of allowed... the only thing is, since it's a quote, the comma should be OUTSIDE the quotation marks, not inside.

On the same line of thought, I'd include a comma after the second question as well. I know a lot of people have their differing opinions about listing things, for example...

• A, B, C and D.
  
• A, B, C, and D.
  

A slight difference, but it makes all the difference in some sentences.

That red comma of yours is known as the "Oxford" comma (In Britain at least).

It's really user preference if you include a comma before an "and" but generally you don't in actual lists. If you're actually writing a normal sentence and just happen to use the "and" word, and want a pause within the sentence prior to the "and" then go and use it.

Anyway, I'd write the thing like this:

Those questions include: "Who am I?", "Where am I going?" and "How am I going to get there?".

Or perhaps make them more like bullet points.

[megamanXplosion]

I would write it as:

Those questions include: who am I, where am I going, and how am I going to get there?

[Julius Caro]

Right, I knew about that, but also commas break apart pieces of a quote that have things between them.

Such as: "Jack," she exclaimed, "Your pants are on fire!"

The comma seems really quite out of place next to that question mark.

In Spanish we would say

Jack! -she exclaimed- Your pants are on fire!

are you sure you don't use the dashes for those "in-line" explanations in English? Edit: apparently such thing is used in English as well.

[megamanXplosion]

"Nope!", said megamanXplosion, "We use commas for those." :)

[Yggdrasilly]

That red comma of yours is known as the "Oxford" comma (In Britain at least).

It's really user preference if you include a comma before an "and" but generally you don't in actual lists. If you're actually writing a normal sentence and just happen to use the "and" word, and want a pause within the sentence prior to the "and" then go and use it.

I knew it was called the Oxford comma, I just didn't bother mentioning it. :p

Also, I prefer to use it, because as I mentioned before, it can totally alter the meaning of a sentence. Again, an example:

• The girls prepared a dinner of steak, potatoes, onions and ice cream.
  
• The girls prepared a dinner of steak, potatoes, onions, and ice cream.
  

The first of the two sentences implies that they ate a dinner of steak and potatoes, along with the pungent combination of onions and ice cream. :laugh:

[megamanXplosion]

Neither sentence is ambiguous. The lack of "and" between potatoes and onions means the list is not coming to an end so you interpret onions as the third item of the list and ice cream as the fourth.

Granted, the absence of the Oxford Comma can cause confusion. Consider: "I enjoy studying zoology, primate culture and mating." That could mean I enjoy studying zoology and zoology includes primate culture and primate mating. It could mean I enjoy studying zoology and primate culture and primate mating as separate things. It could mean I enjoy studying zoology, studying primate culture as something separate, and studying mating in general—which may or may not include primates—as something separate. It could mean I enjoy studying zoology, which includes studying primate culture and studying mating in general. The inclusion of the Oxford Comma renders the sentence unambiguous: "I enjoy studying zoology, primate culture, and mating," meaning mating in general as separate from primate culture, which is separate from zoology.

The inclusion of the Oxford Comma can also cause ambiguity though. Consider: "I dedicate this book to my mother, Jane Doe, and God." This could mean a list of three people: Jane Doe, God, and my mother. However, the Jane Doe section could be interpreted as a parenthetical phrase that clarifies the preceding section, meaning this presents only two people: God and my mother Jane Doe. The sentence "I dedicate this book to my mother, Jane Doe and God" is perfectly clear when following the no-Oxford-Comma convention. However, the ambiguity can also be avoided while using the Oxford Comma. For example, "I dedicate this book to God, Jane Doe, and my mother" and "I dedicate this book to my mother, to Jane Doe, and to God."

[ninjamunky]

I knew it was called the Oxford comma, I just didn't bother mentioning it. :p

Also, I prefer to use it, because as I mentioned before, it can totally alter the meaning of a sentence. Again, an example:

• The girls prepared a dinner of steak, potatoes, onions and ice cream.
  
• The girls prepared a dinner of steak, potatoes, onions, and ice cream.
  

The first of the two sentences implies that they ate a dinner of steak and potatoes, along with the pungent combination of onions and ice cream. :laugh:

I think that more appropriately, although it would appear redundant, you would have to have another "and" in the first sentence to make it appear as a dish.

For example: The girls prepared a dinner of steak, potatoes, and onions and ice cream.

Or even: The girls prepared a dinner of steak, potatoes, and onions-and-ice-cream.

[Guest]

I don't think the Oxford comma has the power to affect the meaning on a sentence, which is why using it is debated as it can be considered "redundant".

While we've got our English caps on, I've got a question:

"Disk" or "Disc"? Is one American and the other English? I've never been too sure on this one...

[Axel]

Those questions include; 'Who am I,' 'Where am I going' and 'How am I going to get there?'

I wouldn't use the quotation marks as previously suggested since you're not actually quoting someone saying something.

[curme]

As some of the other posters mentioned, just add a question mark at the end of the sentence and you're fine. Some people are making this way too complicated! :rofl:

[Yggdrasilly]

While we've got our English caps on, I've got a question:

"Disk" or "Disc"? Is one American and the other English? I've never been too sure on this one...

I'm not sure if it's an American/English thing... I've always seen both used, but in different contexts. A hard disk or floppy disk is spelled with a 'k', and a compact disc or blu-ray disc [for example] is spelled with a 'c'.

As for the Oxford Comma... I just prefer to use it. I realize that a sentence is correct with or without it, but to me it just seems 'more correct'.