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#4556 - 10/23/02 12:03 PM
Is grammar really a big deal?
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Lindsey24
Member
Registered: 08/18/02
Posts: 388
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I'm still taking my MT courses and I have found that my biggest problem is when to use commas and when not to. When in high school, I was in advanced English and even then I never really understood what the great importance of whether or not a comma was where it should be, as long as you get the information out and the meaning is not changed. I have a general understanding and do fairly well but there are times that I find out I didn't use them correctly. Is this a big deal when out in the working world? Who is going to read these reports and knit-pick it on my comma use? If it's not someone who is an English major, then who gives a hoot? I know I wouldn't if I read something someone wrote and all the commas weren't in the right place. I don't see this as being a big deal when looking at the big picture. It's just like in high school, each year it seemed as though it depended on who the teacher was grading your papers on whether your grammar was right or wrong.
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#4557 - 10/23/02 12:17 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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steiner8
Junior Member
Registered: 10/01/02
Posts: 29
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Hi Lindsey, I used to have comma trouble also. Understanding comes with practice, practice, practice. They are important. Medical terminology can be complex, and misplaced commas can totally change the meaning of a sentence. Not to mention, have you ever tried reading a complex sentence with no commas in it? Commas really facilitate ease of reading. So, don't give up on commas. They are important and necessary, and after much trial and error, you will get it! Jan  [ 10-23-2002: Message edited by: steiner8 ]
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#4558 - 10/23/02 12:20 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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Debo
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 2576
Loc: Mid-Connecticut shoreline
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Lets put it this way punctuation is kind of like road signs they help direct the reader to the writers intention without these road signs the interpretation is open when something as important as persons medical history is concerned wouldnt you want yours to have perfect clarity Deb 
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#4559 - 10/23/02 12:57 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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AnnR
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 18413
Loc: Ocean Park WA
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Sorry, double post. [ 10-23-2002: Message edited by: AnnR ]
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#4560 - 10/23/02 12:59 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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AnnR
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 18413
Loc: Ocean Park WA
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Good, Deb! Lindsey, I think it is clear from your post that you do, in fact, have a good understanding of grammar and punctuation. We have all seen posts in these forums where the grammar, sentence structure and spelling is awful--would you want that kind of grammar etc applied to your medical records? Unfortunately, many dictators these days aren't that much better, and part of the function of a transcriptionist these days is to be a translator into readable English without making any change in the meaning of the dictation. If you have read the recent "rant" posts, you can see how a blind insistence on "verbatim" transcription is causing trouble. A dictator can say anything in the stress of dictation, we have to translate that into something which is readable, and for that the transcriptionist needs the basic skills for turning spoken English into actual written English. [ 10-23-2002: Message edited by: AnnR ]
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#4562 - 10/23/02 10:55 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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MissJones
Member
Registered: 09/03/02
Posts: 441
Loc: florida
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Good God Surfie LOL  I guess commas also give you a pause to let a concept sink in. Kim J
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#4563 - 10/23/02 11:08 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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MissJones
Member
Registered: 09/03/02
Posts: 441
Loc: florida
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Sorry double post [ 10-24-2002: Message edited by: MissJones ]
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#4564 - 10/24/02 03:17 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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Lindsey24
Member
Registered: 08/18/02
Posts: 388
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Thank you all for taking the time to reply and offering your thoughts. I'll keep practicing. My goodness, Surfie, yes in that case commas really help! And thank you AnnR for the compliment.
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#4565 - 10/24/02 05:40 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Lindsey, just thought I would let you know how the above should have really been. 1. Technical quality: _______. (Doctor did not dictate the quality, or forgot to).
2. Rhythm: Sinus.
3. Valves: No significant abnormalities.
4. Left ventricular wall motion: Dyskinetic septal anterior segment and involving also the apex and distal inferior wall.
5. Estimated ejection fraction is somewhat misleading at 40%.
6. Pericardium: No significant pericardial effusion.
7. Doppler showing mild mitral regurgitation and mild tricuspid regurgitation.  [ 10-24-2002: Message edited by: Surfie ]
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#4566 - 10/24/02 06:59 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Hi all: The subject of the use and importance of where commas should be placed comes up frequently, but for those of you who have not heard my input on this, here goes: A person's will was being read to those involved: Mary, John, Fred and Mark. This is how part of the estate was divided: The proceeds were to be divided evenly between Mary, John, Fred and Mark. Because there was no comma between Fred and Mark, as was between Mary and John, Fred and Mark would have to share one-fourth of the proceeds, instead of one-fourth each. 
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#4567 - 10/24/02 07:25 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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MTW
Member
Registered: 06/30/00
Posts: 463
Loc: Hyde Park, NY, USA
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Fuffy, I think it should read that Fred and Mark had to share one-third of the estate. Mary would get one-third and John would get the other third. If the comma was after Fred, then each would get a fourth of the estate.
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#4568 - 10/24/02 11:19 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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law
Member
Registered: 10/06/99
Posts: 2938
Loc: Acts of God Theme Park
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The lawyer gets a fourth...
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#4570 - 10/25/02 12:22 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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MarshaW
Junior Member
Registered: 10/09/02
Posts: 28
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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I also agree that a comma should follow after Fred, because like you said Fred and Mark are not one unit. Marsha
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#4571 - 10/25/02 07:58 PM
Re: Is grammar really a big deal?
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Lindsey24
Member
Registered: 08/18/02
Posts: 388
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LOL....see people, this is the kind of thing I'm talking about. When I said that in high school, it depended on what teacher graded your papers on whether it was right or wrong. I was told in high school that, say for instance, in a series of 4 you put a comma after the 1st 3 words then and then the 4th word, like you people are saying about the 4 names. It should be written as such: Mary, John, Fred, and Mark. However in my MT courses, I'm told to write Mary, John, Fred and Mark. This is why I asked the question, "Is grammar (comma use) really important?" (LOL, which that also brings up something that I've had contradicted in the past as wellm, whether the puncuation mark goes after the " or before. But to get back to what I was saying, it seems as though everyone has their own interpretation of proper grammar. And unless you are an English major, who cares if the question mark goes after the " or before? And if anyone thinks I have incorrectly used commas in my posts, clue me in please. This comma stuff is just a little confusing to me.
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