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The comma is not the only punctuation that is habitually abused in Irish printed media. • An apostrophe pluralizes about one out of every three nouns on public reader-boards. The so-called greengrocer's apostrophe advertizes, for example, "apple's 3 for €1." • Quotation marks often emphasize important terms: Tired of renting? Buy "YOUR OWN HOME." |
Pedestrian Irish writers use the comma without apparent awareness that it has logical functionality. These writers, these journalists, seem to feel a compulsion to insert a comma where none is required — almost as if they're using it just in case they need one.
From the Irish Times, March 2010:
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"We realise, that in order to do this we must rely on our greatest asset..." — quoting the Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
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That comma does not represent anything spoken. The following is from the Cork Evening Echo in December 2008:
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"[The plaintiff] told Judge Leo Malone, that late night loud music [was causing a disturbance.] ..." | |
This kind of usage appears to be rather consistent — based upon whatever inscrutable rule governs it.
There seems to be nothing organic — nothing that you can "hear" when you read the sentence... and yet there seems to be an odd sort of a rule. But maybe the rule is merely "when in doubt, stick in a comma."
This is from the reader-board outside a pub:
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"Come enjoy our warm, cozy, atmosphere." | |
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