# . . .and that's why God created commas. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 26, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697 "2005-01-26T03:20:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/1 "2005-01-26T03:20:12Z")
This is mundane and pointless, but it made me laugh, so here it is. Sitting in my English class this evening, I was listening to my teacher lecture about common mistakes made in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. She’s talking about the whole “eats, shoots, and leaves” joke, and then says something that ends with “. . . and that’s why God created commas.” A girl on the other side of the room suddenly piped up and informed the professor that she couldn’t say things like that in a public school, God had no place in a public college, etc. She was serious. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/2 "2005-01-26T03:26:47Z")
I’m all for separation of church & state, as well as the removal of “under God” from the pledge, but this is a bit overreacting. (It’s obviously being used as a figure of speech, not a literal endorsement of any deity.) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/3 "2005-01-26T03:59:46Z")
Perhaps the teacher should have gone on to other punctuation marks, using the girl’s anal-retentiveness as an example of misuse of a colon? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/4 "2005-01-26T04:11:27Z")
I opened this thread because I was sure you were refering to one of my posts. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/5 "2005-01-26T04:18:39Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Perhaps the teacher should have gone on to other punctuation marks, using the girl’s anal-retentiveness as an example of misuse of a colon? :dubious: Makes me wonder about semicolons. And the @ symbol is just painful! ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlySaneOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@TheOnlySaneOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheOnlySaneOne)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/6 "2005-01-26T05:16:25Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Makes me wonder about semicolons. > [/SIZE] They’re why you should get checked for polyps regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/7 "2005-01-26T15:54:10Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Perhaps the teacher should have gone on to other punctuation marks, using the girl’s anal-retentiveness as an example of misuse of a colon? :dubious: 😃 That cracked me up! ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/8 "2005-01-26T17:22:53Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Perhaps the teacher should have gone on to other punctuation marks, using the girl’s anal-retentiveness as an example of misuse of a colon? :dubious: It took me a while to get that, but damn, that was good! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/9 "2005-01-26T17:25:22Z")
_cracks up and dies_ I love you people… ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/10 "2005-01-26T17:30:32Z")
Two words: _Fuckin’ A_. ---
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/11 "2005-01-26T18:25:08Z")
Just what we need, humorless idiots making “separation of church and state” supporters look like nutjobs. Thanks, RandomCollegeLady. Next thing you know people are going to be complaining that only a parent should get to decide if their child learns about the circumflex. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/12 "2005-01-26T18:48:15Z")
Blasphemy!! Everyone knows that Guru Nanak invented commas. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/13 "2005-01-26T18:56:09Z")
And on the eighth day, The Lord created the comma, and all the punctuation that lives and breathes in the languages, and behold, it was very good. But Eve did partake of the forbidden fruit, and thus it came to be that the comma was used for evil and not for good, and English teachers everywhere were cursed. what? It’s in my Bible! I have the unabridged version! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/14 "2005-01-26T19:59:46Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Everyone knows that Guru Nanak invented commas. I thought the story was that the inventor of the comma traveled far and wide and spread his creation in many different lands and cultures simultaneously, but because he wanted the device to be a gift to humankind and didn’t want any personal credit to accrue to himself he used a variety of names and costumes to conceal his identity. You’ve heard of him. He’s known as the Comma Chameleon. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/15 "2005-01-26T20:05:40Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I thought the story was that the inventor of the comma traveled far and wide and spread his creation in many different lands and cultures simultaneously, but because he wanted the device to be a gift to humankind and didn’t want any personal credit to accrue to himself he used a variety of names and costumes to conceal his identity. > > You’ve heard of him. He’s known as the Comma Chameleon. And the really rotten pun of the day award goes to… **Cervaise!** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/16 "2005-01-26T20:50:29Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I thought the story was that the inventor of the comma traveled far and wide and spread his creation in many different lands and cultures simultaneously, but because he wanted the device to be a gift to humankind and didn’t want any personal credit to accrue to himself he used a variety of names and costumes to conceal his identity. > > You’ve heard of him. He’s known as the Comma Chameleon. If the rest of the thread made me laugh, this made me cry. This was AWFUL **Cervaise**. Awful enough to win an award, as \*\*swampbear \*\* says, ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/17 "2005-01-27T05:00:03Z")
Oh, man. That was just awful. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/18 "2005-01-27T05:53:51Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I thought the story was that the inventor of the comma traveled far and wide and spread his creation in many different lands and cultures simultaneously, but because he wanted the device to be a gift to humankind and didn’t want any personal credit to accrue to himself he used a variety of names and costumes to conceal his identity. > > You’ve heard of him. He’s known as the Comma Chameleon. If you look in the dictionary under “awesomeness”, it cites this post. ---
**Author:** ![SiouxChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/19 "2005-01-27T07:38:36Z")
Alias… Just out of curiosity, how did your professor handle that? ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697/20 "2005-01-27T12:05:30Z")
> [@SiouxChief](#): > > Alias… > Just out of curiosity, how did your professor handle that? She didn’t even blink. She looked at the girl and said, “I’m sorry. Forgive me.” She then went on with the lecture as if nothing had ever happened. I thought it was handled well, and appropriately dismissed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-thats-why-god-created-commas/286697.md?page=2)