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/lit/ - Literature

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16250443 No.16250443 [Reply] [Original]

Having some trouble, /lit/.
Friend and I are having an argument over something really trivial and I can't get an answer on something this specific by Googling it: whether you ought to place a comma between a single common noun and a proper noun which clarifies it. Example:
>"She held a strong hatred toward her mother, Laura."
versus
"She held a strong hatred toward her mother Laura."
To me, they both feel equally correct, but then I considered the following for plural nouns:
>"He held a strong hatred for his cousins, the Sackville-Bagginses."
which looks at first blush more correct than
>"He held a strong hatred for his cousins the Sackville-Bagginses."
Is it the first option in both cases?

>> No.16250447

>>16250443
Why are you naming it? We should already know who you’re talking about

>> No.16250451

>>16250443
What country are you in? Look for a style book you both agree on, say Oxford's/Canada's etc and look for comma useage. They don't all use the same terms and they don't all agree but an argument could be made for either

>> No.16250455
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16250455

>>16250443
I like the comma. Sometimes I indulge and use a semi-colon.

>> No.16250457

>>16250443
Some style books would prefer a colon

>> No.16250461

>>16250447
pseud-tier writing blogger ass advice

>> No.16250530

>>16250451
I've looked in multiple now. The specific situation I described isn't listed.
>>16250455
>>16250457
Semicolons are categorically wrong in an academic context, colons are arguably acceptable when writing a book but are not standard.
>>16250447
>>16250461
lol wut

>> No.16250555

>>16250461
>He was a fuckin cocksucker, faggot.

>> No.16250558

>>16250555
>proper noun

>> No.16250565

>>16250555
That's a good counterargument.

>>16250530
It could be a case of style as they're both ambiguous. I'd use a colon.

>> No.16250635

>>16250565
"She held a strong hatred toward her mother: Laura" seems incorrect to me.
I would put a colon in this type of sentence:
>"She held a strong hatred toward one person: Laura."
because the proper noun clarifies a completely unknown party, whereas in the first example the proper noun clarifies an already defined party.

>> No.16251285

>>16250443
>oh god not the c-c-cannoliiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiIIIII

>> No.16251626

>>16250443
>she held a strong hatred toward her mother (Laura)
>she held a strong hatred toward her mother [Laura]
>she held a strong hatred against Laura - her mother

>> No.16251699

>>16250443
>He hates that fucking faggot, James
>He hates that fucking faggot James
The second one is wrong. Read them out loud.