How would you punctuate this sentence:

[cin]

There are 3 items I want to talk about 1) this 2)that 3)the other

 

 

this is for a presentation Dh has to write, and he HATES writing, probably because it's not his strongest area.

 

My brain is fried today so I am no help whatsoever. I had to use the answer key to grade 2nd grade addition...:001_huh:

[Mrs Mungo]

There are three things that I want to talk about: cat, dogs and rabbits.

 

eta: I missed that this was for your dh. I would not word it that way in a professional presentation. He needs a real introduction. Why is here there? Why are these things interesting or relevant? He needs a real lead-in.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Mrs Mungo

[regentrude]

There are 3 items I want to talk about 1) this 2)that 3)the other

 

I would rewrite - "there are" is a weak, fluffy, to-be-avoided phrase:

 

"I want to talk about apples, peaches, and oranges."

(the comma before oranges is the hotly debated oxford comma - omit at will)

 

or, if the items are longer and contain commas themselves, separate the items by semicolons:

 

"I want to talk about apples from Seattle, Washington; peaches from Sedalia, California; and oranges from Miami, Florida."

[Parrothead]

I would rewrite - "there are" is a weak, fluffy, to-be-avoided phrase:

 

"I want to talk about apples, peaches, and oranges."

(the comma before oranges is the hotly debated oxford comma - omit at will)

 

or, if the items are longer and contain commas themselves, separate the items by semicolons:

 

"I want to talk about apples from Seattle, Washington; peaches from Sedalia, California; and oranges from Miami, Florida."

:iagree: You could possibly modify it to:

 

"The three things I want to talk about are apples, peaches and oranges."

[fairfarmhand]

There are three things that I want to talk about: cat, dogs and rabbits.

 

eta: I missed that this was for your dh. I would not word it that way in a professional presentation. He needs a real introduction. Why is here there? Why are these things interesting or relevant? He needs a real lead-in.

 

 

This presentation will cover these three main ideas.

 

First, blah blah blah

 

Second, blah blah blah

 

Finally, blah blah blah

[Mrs Mungo]

This presentation will cover these three main ideas.

 

First, blah blah blah

 

Second, blah blah blah

 

Finally, blah blah blah

 

I would not even suggest that intro sentence, but I agree with this type of structure. Cin, has your dh ever considered something like Toastmasters? If he's uncomfortable in this arena, but needs it for his job, then I would *highly* encourage it.

 

I have given talks on lots of different topics. Let's say I was going to talk about...breastfeeding...to...someone in charge of my local hospital(s).

 

Here is how I might structure my presentation:

 

Hi, my name is Mrs Mungo. I have been a breastfeeding educator for x number of years and, perhaps more importantly, a mom who breastfed her own children for x number of years. Health organizations around the world praise breastmilk as a perfect food and encourage new mothers to breastfeed. (maybe provide a quote or two here from the WHO and/or AAP). However, according the the CDC's 2011 "Breastfeeding Report Card," only 28% of babies born in North Carolina are exclusively breastfed by the age of three months. This is a statistic that we need to improve, and that we can improve through tactics that have proven to be successful in other states and in other facilities.

 

Discuss tactic one.

 

Discuss tactic two.

 

Discuss tactic three.

[angela in ohio]

There are three items I want to talk about: this, that, and the other.

[cin]

thanks for all the replies. I forwarded them and he sent this back:

 

There are 3 methods available to image/re-image a workstation; 1) A site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more workstations they own and clicks a re-image button and the workstations start the re-imaging process, 2) the site administrator uses a USB key, or 3) press the down arrow during POST and select the re-image option.

 

So, how about this one, my Grammar Gurus?

[Ellie]

thanks for all the replies. I forwarded them and he sent this back:

 

There are 3 methods available to image/re-image a workstation; 1) A site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more workstations they own and clicks a re-image button and the workstations start the re-imaging process, 2) the site administrator uses a USB key, or 3) press the down arrow during POST and select the re-image option.

So, how about this one, my Grammar Gurus?

There must be a colon, not a semi-colon, after "workstation." He is introducing a list. A semicolon joins two complete sentences; the items in the list are not complete sentences, although they could be if he used an introductory clause, but then there would be a heckalong sentence, lol. Just use the colon.

[gardening momma]

There are three items I want to talk about: this, that and the other.

[Rivka]

There are 3 methods available to image/re-image a workstation; 1) A site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more workstations they own and clicks a re-image button and the workstations start the re-imaging process, 2) the site administrator uses a USB key, or 3) press the down arrow during POST and select the re-image option.

 

There are more problems with this than punctuation, including incomplete information and parallel structure issues. Here's the best I can do. I think that with items this long, he wouldn't want to stick them all in one long sentence.

 

There are three methods available to image or re-image a workstation:

 

1) A site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more workstations he or she owns, and clicks a re-image button. The workstations start the re-imaging process.

 

2) The site administrator uses a USB key. [How? From where? Any old USB key, or one with specific information on it?]

 

3) [someone. The user? The site administrator?] presses the down arrow during POST and selects the re-image option.

[Mrs Mungo]

thanks for all the replies. I forwarded them and he sent this back:

 

 

 

So, how about this one, my Grammar Gurus?

 

There are 3 methods available to image/re-image a workstation; 1) A site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more workstations they own and clicks a re-image button and the workstations start the re-imaging process, 2) the site administrator uses a USB key, or 3) press the down arrow during POST and select the re-image option.

 

I would do it like this (breaking into sections as I explain):

There are three (you type the number out when it is less then ten) methods available to image or re-image a workstation:

 

This is a full sentence, so he can put a colon before the list. If it was a sentence fragment, then you would use it as an introductory clause and put a comma. You never put a semi-colon before a list.

 

That said, I would use semi colons *within* the list in order to avoid confusion and because they are full sentences. I adjusted the wording a teeny bit because it was a little awkward with so many ands.

 

A site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more of the workstations that they own and clicks a re-image button, then the workstations start the re-imaging process; 2) the site administrator uses a USB key; 3) press the down arrow during POST and select the re-image option.

[gardening momma]

Unless this is strictly a verbal presentation (no visuals), he should change the "3" in both cases to "three."

 

And I don't know which is correct, but I prefer 1. 2. 3. to 1) 2) 3)

[Mrs Mungo]

I agree that this is better than trying to shove it into one long sentence as if you are Faulkner. :D

 

There are more problems with this than punctuation, including incomplete information and parallel structure issues. Here's the best I can do. I think that with items this long, he wouldn't want to stick them all in one long sentence.

 

There are three methods available to image or re-image a workstation:

 

1) A site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more workstations he or she owns, and clicks a re-image button. The workstations start the re-imaging process

 

2) The site administrator uses a USB key. [How? From where? Any old USB key, or one with specific information on it?]

 

3) [someone. The user? The site administrator?] presses the down arrow during POST and selects the re-image option.

[cin]

 

I'll die confused about punctuation so I don't have anything to offer regarding that.

 

Me too, that's why I am here. I know some of my posts drive certain posters absolutely crazy. I have an answer key for 2nd grade grammar. :confused1:

[fairfarmhand]

There are 3 methods available to image/re-image a workstation; 1) A site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more workstations they own and clicks a re-image button and the workstations start the re-imaging process, 2) the site administrator uses a USB key, or 3) press the down arrow during POST and select the re-image option.

 

To re image a work station, one has (or you have depending on how he chooses to phrase it) three options.

 

First, a site administrator can blah blah blah

 

Second, the site admin can use a USB key

 

Finally, one can press the down arrow during post and blah blah blah.

 

Although the first sounds okay, avoiding the use of the words "There are" sounds more professional and polished. Is this for an oral presentation or power point or what?

[cin]

I thought it was a presentation, but I think it is a written paper.

[fairfarmhand]

I thought it was a presentation, but I think it is a written paper.

 

 

Then I would definitely go without the "There are...."

[Mrs Mungo]

I thought it was a presentation, but I think it is a written paper.

 

In order to image or re-image a workstation one may use one of the following three methods:

[angela in ohio]

thanks for all the replies. I forwarded them and he sent this back:

 

There are 3 methods available to image/re-image a workstation; 1) A site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more workstations they own and clicks a re-image button and the workstations start the re-imaging process, 2) the site administrator uses a USB key, or 3) press the down arrow during POST and select the re-image option.

 

So, how about this one, my Grammar Gurus?

 

There are three methods available to image/re-image a workstation: 1) a site administrator logs into a console, selects one or more workstations they own, and clicks a re-image button, allowing the workstations to start the re-imaging process, 2) the site administrator uses a USB key, or 3) the user presses the down arrow during POST and select the re-image option.

 

(This is the minimum amount of change necessary to make it correct. :001_smile:)

Edited May 25, 2012 by angela in ohio

[sheryl]

There are 3 items I want to talk about 1) this 2)that 3)the other

 

 

this is for a presentation Dh has to write, and he HATES writing, probably because it's not his strongest area.

 

My brain is fried today so I am no help whatsoever. I had to use the answer key to grade 2nd grade addition...:001_huh:

 

Mungo is right. In a list of 3 or more (not 2) you list as such:

 

item, item and item

 

Now, he should be mindful of frequency of using the pronoun "I". Perhaps he could speak with more inclusivity like......

 

We will discuss 3 points. (This is direct and to the point). Or, The following 3 areas of interest or points or "another phrase here" will be presented OR discussed, and they include: item, item and item. Does he need to mention why they are important to discuss. Bridge it to the overall theme, etc.