correct expression

Eats, Shoots and Leaves (2004)

Truss' book is excellent. I recommend it to you.

Many thanks, Contrex.

I'm aware that nowadays, a comma is optional in that sentence. What I want to know is whether I should say there is a comma before or after a certain word.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves (2004)

Is it correct to say that there is a comma after 'Eats' or there is a comma before 'Shoots'? Or should it be 'There is a comma in front of 'Eats'?

Is there another way of saying it?

Many thanks.

Ah I understand. There is a comma immediately after the word "Eats", then there is a space, then comes the next word, "Shoots", so it would be misleading to say that the comma is before "Shoots", even though such a statement would not be wrong regarding its position in the title.

The function of that comma is to separate the word "Eats" from the two final items in a list. Thus it is associated with the word "Eats", and this is economically expressed by saying that it occurs after that word.

Commas never come before words, they come after them.



No. Definitely not. The comma is after "Eats". In sentences, as one might expect, "before" means "towards the beginning" and "after" means "towards the end".



You could say that the word "Eats" is followed by a comma, I suppose.

I've read Lynn Truss's book.

I would always put a comma in "Come here, please."

And I would describe that as "a comma after "here"".

Thanks, Contrex and Mc Tag.

I would always put a comma in "Come here, please."

What Contrex said is happening. I've seen Come here please in an English usage book.

Best wishes.