i am particularly impressed that your character's grandiose eloquence was extemporaneous, sans employment of MS Word Thesaurus. unlike mine. Simply capital comic.
I sincerely hope that Grant's boast about his large vocabulary which was then followed by him saying "awesome", was a subtle form of irony rather than just plain stupidity
Awesome :) As someone who has used my vocabulary to answer questions without actually answering questions (I've only been caught once!), this is pure comic gold.
The comma in the last panel represents the pause in speech that would exist in real life. Even if it's not necessarily grammatically correct, it serves its purpose correctly.
Dude, the mullet boss is STARING at me. I can't take the hair that early in the morning on a monday . . . or at all on a Monday . . . But Hilarious! It looks like the Mullet Boss just got out of bed, since his hair is messed up and his shirt is unbuttoned . . . anyone else notice that?
what got to me was Mullet Boss' tiny little love patch on his exposed chest - but I was also taken aback by Scott's POV vs the two-shot we're normally given... that might be something to explore, Scott, although I would have to say (and I'm sure I speak for most of your fans here) that we're really only ready to look at your lovely wife from your POV and not your Mullet Boss.
@flmumb: to which comma do you refer? The one enclosed in the instructions gives us a clear pause and allows the sentence to change direction, and the one in Mullet Boss' reply is his own pattern of speech (I suppose he could have used an all-stop period instead, but then Scott would have had to capitalize "that" - and allow for the additional space that should follow a period).
@BI Fan: the "unnecessary comma" is in the instructions. The sentence is two independent clauses joined by a conjunction. A comma should only be used if one of the clauses is dependent on the other. The word "but" accomplishes the change in direction. It is a grammatical error. That being said, the comma ruined the enjoyment of the strip and I doubt I can ever enjoy Basic Instructions again. I have not been so disappointed since the Calvin and Hobbes semicolon affair of 1989.
Actually, there was an extra comma. I fixed it quickly then left the house for nine hours. I didn't think about the confusion it would cause. Sorry about that.
I do sometimes use commas, run on sentences, sentences that end in prepositions and words like "dunno" and "gonna" in an effort to emulate the way people really talk. Sadly, this was not one of those times.
See, I figured as fans we all forgive your grammar BECAUSE you present reality in comic form (well, maybe not real reality, but you do emulate people)... and living in California, I get to read BI later in the day than 6 a.m. ('cuz, well, I'm sleeping at that ungodly hour), so if you've fixed an error, I've missed that error already. Lucky me. I suppose if I had looked for the new panels last night, I'd have seen (gasp!) your grammatical error and been forced to correct you myself. Or not.
Look out for "Being Human" from the BBC, Scott. Lenora Crichlow et al. Ghost, Werewolf, Vampire house-sharing. Good idea, bad plots, I think you may like it. Can't you tell us how to diet? I've drawn a graph to plot my "progress" but it just doesn't seem to help.
i could be wrong, but is this the first time you've used words like "my" and thus explicitly identified the character in the pictures as yourself?
i personally don't like it - it removes from the detached, third-person, instructional tone and takes away the humour of the disparity between the instructions and your interpretation of them through your actions.
everything else about this strip (ie other than the first panel caption) is as funny as ever
Sco-Pi January 26th, 2009 at 2:42 pm gave me my best laugh (in the comments section, of course, not in the comics), particularly followed by what's comment... only on the internet can you be corrected and chastised by a complete stranger, for the benefit of other complete strangers! I stand by my first explanation of the first comma, particularly since the "unnecessary comma" was an error Scott corrected. To Sco-Pi: pbttttthhhhhhh.
Sco-Pi, what is the authority for your assertion? I believe that you have it exactly wrong. In my 20+ years as a technical editor, I have always followed this rule (from the Chicago Manual of Style): When independent clauses are joined by and, but, or, so, yet, or any other conjunction, a comma usually precedes the conjunction. If the clauses are very short and closely connected, the comma may be omitted.
Perhaps the discussion was about a different comma that is now gone?
Haha! Simply capital! I love the third panel, that's actually kind of the process my braind goes through when a situation calls for the use of my words. And I gotta say, Mullet Boss's hair got a big laugh out of me right off the bat! Keep up the good work!
January 26, 2009
Reader Comments (54)
AHAHAHAHA! He looks like an indian chief and pedophile combined! =)
Hahaha, my friends tease me about my large vocabulary, so this is awesome!
i am particularly impressed that your character's grandiose eloquence was extemporaneous, sans employment of MS Word Thesaurus. unlike mine. Simply capital comic.
Hehe, I love vocabulary. There's a word for every level of meaning.
I love Panel 3, the Time 'Till I Go Home idea is inspired.
Aaghhhh - a picture of mullet-haired boss - head on - with extra hair. First thing on a Monday morning .
I sincerely hope that Grant's boast about his large vocabulary which was then followed by him saying "awesome", was a subtle form of irony rather than just plain stupidity
"More than you know"
simply capital, old chap!
I hate to say this, but... anyone else annoyed by that unnecessary comma in the last panel?
As a fond admirer of sesquipedalian loquaciousness, this warms the cockles of my heart.
Awesome :) As someone who has used my vocabulary to answer questions without actually answering questions (I've only been caught once!), this is pure comic gold.
The comma is appropriate.
The comma in the last panel represents the pause in speech that would exist in real life. Even if it's not necessarily grammatically correct, it serves its purpose correctly.
And just when you thought a mullet couldn't get any worse. . .
Of course, my mom's hairdresser had a mohawk mullet. . .thing.
omg, it's limahl.
"Subtlety is always worth the trouble" is my new personal motto.
Outstanding. The robocop-HUD made me snort - no higher compliment can be paid...
Dude, the mullet boss is STARING at me. I can't take the hair that early in the morning on a monday . . . or at all on a Monday . . . But Hilarious! It looks like the Mullet Boss just got out of bed, since his hair is messed up and his shirt is unbuttoned . . . anyone else notice that?
@flmumb: I don't see an unnecessary comma. I see a compound sentence.
You should probably change that copyright to 2009.
what got to me was Mullet Boss' tiny little love patch on his exposed chest - but I was also taken aback by Scott's POV vs the two-shot we're normally given... that might be something to explore, Scott, although I would have to say (and I'm sure I speak for most of your fans here) that we're really only ready to look at your lovely wife from your POV and not your Mullet Boss.
@flmumb: to which comma do you refer? The one enclosed in the instructions gives us a clear pause and allows the sentence to change direction, and the one in Mullet Boss' reply is his own pattern of speech (I suppose he could have used an all-stop period instead, but then Scott would have had to capitalize "that" - and allow for the additional space that should follow a period).
@BI Fan: the "unnecessary comma" is in the instructions. The sentence is two independent clauses joined by a conjunction. A comma should only be used if one of the clauses is dependent on the other. The word "but" accomplishes the change in direction. It is a grammatical error. That being said, the comma ruined the enjoyment of the strip and I doubt I can ever enjoy Basic Instructions again. I have not been so disappointed since the Calvin and Hobbes semicolon affair of 1989.
Actually, there was an extra comma. I fixed it quickly then left the house for nine hours. I didn't think about the confusion it would cause. Sorry about that.
I do sometimes use commas, run on sentences, sentences that end in prepositions and words like "dunno" and "gonna" in an effort to emulate the way people really talk. Sadly, this was not one of those times.
I dunno - just to buck the trend, I didn't think that Mullet Boss' hair was all that bad ... of course, I'm rather fashion-challenged.
See, I figured as fans we all forgive your grammar BECAUSE you present reality in comic form (well, maybe not real reality, but you do emulate people)... and living in California, I get to read BI later in the day than 6 a.m. ('cuz, well, I'm sleeping at that ungodly hour), so if you've fixed an error, I've missed that error already. Lucky me. I suppose if I had looked for the new panels last night, I'd have seen (gasp!) your grammatical error and been forced to correct you myself. Or not.
Terminator reference. Sweet.
Look out for "Being Human" from the BBC, Scott. Lenora Crichlow et al. Ghost, Werewolf, Vampire house-sharing. Good idea, bad plots, I think you may like it. Can't you tell us how to diet? I've drawn a graph to plot my "progress" but it just doesn't seem to help.
"...More Than You Know!"
Practically a tee-shirt slogan, featuring your B.I. icon.
I'd buy that.
i could be wrong, but is this the first time you've used words like "my" and thus explicitly identified the character in the pictures as yourself?
i personally don't like it - it removes from the detached, third-person, instructional tone and takes away the humour of the disparity between the instructions and your interpretation of them through your actions.
everything else about this strip (ie other than the first panel caption) is as funny as ever
just a thought
of course i meant second-person
The power of words. Good illustration, loved it.
Sco-Pi January 26th, 2009 at 2:42 pm gave me my best laugh (in the comments section, of course, not in the comics), particularly followed by what's comment... only on the internet can you be corrected and chastised by a complete stranger, for the benefit of other complete strangers! I stand by my first explanation of the first comma, particularly since the "unnecessary comma" was an error Scott corrected. To Sco-Pi: pbttttthhhhhhh.
Sco-Pi, what is the authority for your assertion? I believe that you have it exactly wrong. In my 20+ years as a technical editor, I have always followed this rule (from the Chicago Manual of Style):
When independent clauses are joined by and, but, or, so, yet, or any other conjunction, a comma usually precedes the conjunction. If the clauses are very short and closely connected, the comma may be omitted.
Perhaps the discussion was about a different comma that is now gone?
Best one for a while! I love panel 3.
Haha! Simply capital! I love the third panel, that's actually kind of the process my braind goes through when a situation calls for the use of my words. And I gotta say, Mullet Boss's hair got a big laugh out of me right off the bat! Keep up the good work!
Being a logodaedalian, this strip leaves me......lexically exsanguinated.
I have also the Boss Proximity Alert panel on my Mental Terminator Interface (tm).
Good strip, good comments!
Comma comma comma comma comma chameleon gives this strip his stamp of approval.
Besides if panel 4's instructions are wrong, why not get huffy about those in panel 2 also?
It's scary how much we think alike.