Alas, an introductory phrase

The gravity given to the opinion of a certain individual who evidences a disturbing obsession with the grammar in online magazines would be higher if a google search of the name of said individual did not turn up as its first link an electronically published story which contains a grammatical error in the third sentence.

One feels it would be distasteful to include the sentence in question; however, one also feels that an individual who possesses such passion for grammar should not be impaired by mere ignorance of how grammar actually works. In the interest of edification, one will happily demonstrate how to correct the salient grammatical error by using purely hypothetical examples.

Introductory phrases that begin with prepositions are to be marked off with a comma that separates them from succeeding phrases or clauses.

For example, if one were to write:

"When you critique grammar attempt to actually know some"

this would actually be more properly expressed as:

"When you critique grammar[,] attempt to actually know some."

A few more variants (for purely explanatory purposes, of course):

When you are being a dick to someone[,] don't expect random strangers on the internet to support your vendetta.

When you snipe about how professional authors laugh at online publications and the authors who publish in them[,] it would be useful if you showed a minimum of self-consciousness about the irony of someone who is effectively unknown attempting to assert superiority over award-winning editors and magazines.

Or to sum up:

When considering whether or not to demonstrate to the internet that you are an obsessive asshole[,] stop typing immediately and get a friggin' clue.


--

In entirely unrelated news, anonymous comments posted to this livejournal will be screened for the near future.