MSGID: 2:221/6.0 5f2a0878   
   REPLY: 1:153/7715.0 f29b5d20   
   PID: SmapiNNTPd/Linux/IPv6 1.3 20200711   
   CHRS: LATIN-1 2   
   TZUTC: 0300   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2020-04-15   
   Hi, Dallas. :-)   
      
   Dallas Hinton - Wayne Harris <0@7715.153.1> writes:   
      
   > Hi, Wayne -- on Aug 04 2020 at 21:28, you wrote:   
   >   
   >  >>   
   >  >>> I don't think it optional but Nesfield disagrees:   
   >  >>   
   >  >> Speaking of punctuation, I missed a comma before `but'.   
   >   
   > WH> Is this comma always required?  If so, who stated and where it is   
   > WH> stated?   
   >   
   > It's not always (or even often) required. "But" is a conjunction, not a   
   > conjuctive adverb and therefore the comma should or should not be there   
   > based on context (cf. Fowlers ).   
      
   I see!  Interesting!  I didn't know I'd find such great information   
   in there.  Now I'm very happy.  So, yes, I do need a book like that and   
   Fowler's does seem to be doing a great job.  Thank you so very much.   
      
   So now I know that /but/ is an adversative conjunction.  That's great.   
      
   It seems there is a classification of sentences among ``coordinating   
   sentences'' and ``subordinating sentences''.  Is that correct?   
      
   Is there a rule such as coordinating clauses (in a coordinating   
   sentence) need not ever be separated by commas?  That would imply, for   
   example, that you never need a comma before a but.  But perhaps there's   
   no such rule.   
      
   I would believe that such rules would be spelled out on grammar books,   
   hence my asking about them in another thread.   
      
   Thank you!   
      
   --    
   I'm so obedient!  I'm always after the rules! ;-)   
      
   ---    
    * Origin: nntps://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/123 90/1 120/340 601 123/131 154/10 203/0 2 124 221/0 1   
   SEEN-BY: 221/6 360 226/30 227/114 702 229/101 275 424 426 664 1014   
   SEEN-BY: 230/0 240/1120 1634 1895 2100 5138 5832 5853 8001 8002 8005   
   SEEN-BY: 249/206 317 261/38 280/5003 5006 313/41 317/3 320/219 322/757   
   SEEN-BY: 335/364 342/200 382/147 423/81 2454/119 4500/1 5020/1042   
   PATH: 221/6 154/10 203/0 221/1 280/5003 240/1120 5832 229/426