Both written or spoken?  For example:   Please have a seat.  Have a seat please.   And how would the use of commas change the meaning or tone of the request? Are there other options that I've excluded?
124303
I would please prefer to take both parts of the test on Monday.   Is the placement of the word please in this sentence grammatically correct?
98956
I cannot understand the difference between the comma and semicolon. Can you please clarify?
90541
Often I'll see a website, especially when registering or filling out a form that says something like "Please only use letters and numbers in this field" or "Please try again."  Please is a pleasantry and I suppose it could make wording sound more "natural" but in this context I don't find it helpful at all. In fact often when I see "please" in a validation message it's not an optional requirement. In that case even in spoken English the "please" is misleading and incorrect as it indicates that you should do something, while omitting the please turns the same phrase ("Use only letters and numbers in this field") turns it into a command, which is correct.  Is there a reason to use statements like these? Are some situations more appropriate than others? It seems fairly prevalent but strikes me as inappropriate interaction.
93365
Several years ago, a previous boss told me to use a semicolon and comma with the word "however".  I've always questioned this and would like to know if the following random sentences are using the correct method.        Our plane was delayed overnight; however, the airlines reimbursed us for lodging.   It looks as though he's upset; however, she told me he always has that look on his face.   I want to find him a nice gift; however, I am a broke until payday.      Normally I would use a less "wordy" sentence in casual writing, but hopefully the example will suffice.  For example, on number 3 I would usually type:      I want to get him a nice gift, but I'm broke until payday.
70025
Is using a comma then an "and" or an "or" after it proper punctuation? Example:         I fell over, and hurt my knee.   Should I go, or not?
13050
I'm wondering how it is correct to structure sentence and what punctuation should be used. In particular, is the next sentence correct:     I was wondering if there's any progress on the issue.    Or should I put a question mark in the end of it. Also, can it be restructured to:     I was wondering: is there any progress on the issue?
9894
I'm a native English speaker and I've been doing some research into English grammar for a programme I'm working on. However, on looking into modal verbs, I've only just come to appreciate how subtle and complicated they are.  What is the difference between these sentences? What possible different response might one have to each?        I can go to the cinema tonight.   I could go to the cinema tonight.   I may go to the cinema tonight.   I might go to the cinema tonight.      Granted, the first of these looks more like a statement of ability or possibility than the three that follow. But in what ways does it differ from the others, since all suggest ability and possibility? And crucially, what distinguishes the other three.  Perhaps it's a matter of tone, of context, of the speaker... The question may appear quite simple but I haven't found a satisfactory answer elsewhere.    looked quite useful in that it covered levels of confidence and certainty but it was talking about the potential state of something rather than the possibility for the person who is speaking. Are there any differences in that sense?   looked at these verbs used in question form (e.g., differences between 'Can I...?' and 'May I...?') but I'm not so interested in that for now.  Any thoughts appreciated.
100595
I've been writing in English for many years, but there are certain recurring issues that come up in my writing, which I can't seem to resolve permanently. Primarily I have a problem with punctuation. In my native language, commas are very commonly used. One would place a comma to separate any portion of the sentence that serves a specific grammatical role. At least, this is the case according to the rules I was taught in school. I can see when I write in English that there are extraneous commas, but I can't always figure out which ones, and why. When dependent clauses require commas, when do they allow them, and when are they definitely incorrect?
89401
What's the correct form? If both are correct, what's the difference?
71458
I would like to write "In "[article name]," [author] states such and such." However, in this particular instance, [article name] ends in a question mark. How should I punctuate this?   "In "Can Pigs Fly," Bacon states..." "In "Can Pigs Fly?" Bacon states..." "In "Can Pigs Fly?," Bacon states..."   Or something else?  Thank you!
117898
I noticed the other day when serving the public that when asking for something, people were saying "Can I get an xyz, please". The previous time I had such a job it was "Could I have an xyz", or "May I have..." if they were being very polite.  Does anyone know when this trend started and what caused it?
64096
A customer asked for the posters to be laminated on the front side and he also asked for the posters to be ready by today. But,  I didn't to it as he'd asked us to do. I didn't to it in the way that he'd asked us to do. I didn't to it the way that he'd asked us to do.  PS. here, ask and request are interchangeable without changing any meaning? And which one would you prefer to use between he'd and he had
84626
Consider the following sentence:     In July of 2012 Jesse informed us that she was engaged to be married   and asked if she could add her fiancée to the lease,   beginning the 15th of August 2012.   Is it any more or less correct to place a comma after the first date?     In July of 2012, Jesse informed us that she was engaged to be married   and asked if she could add her fiancée to the lease,   beginning the 15th of August 2012.   Assuming one is no more correct than the other, does this change the meaning of the sentence, or is it pure style?   Bonus question: Word tells me that it's improper to place a comma after the "August" at the end of the sentence. I've always been taught that a comma should be used to separate the year from the rest of the date. Was I taught wrong, or is Word lying to me?
26492
I am writing an ad and would like to write: "Our team of economists are at your service and available by phone or email.  They will be happy to respond...".  I know that grammatically speaking, 'team' is the subject of the sentence and, being singular, would dictate that 'it' is "at your service".  BUT, it just feels better reading this and it evokes a picture of a bunch of economists doing what they do rather than a single unit".  Is what I'm doing OK?  Should I be arrested by the grammar police?
11007
I apologize in advance for any and all wrong use of terminology.  Consider a sentence of the form      The project was created to practice X and learn Y.   I believe the "practice X and learn Y" is a compound predicate and so there should be no comma before the "and". However, I get confused if X is a list. If I simply replace the X by "V, W, and X", I get      The project was created to practice V, W, and X and learn Y.   Is this correct? It looks strange to me, and I'm not so sure since the "X and learn Y" could be read as a single item? I was going to write a similar sentence, and I wrote it as     The project was created to practice V, W, and X, as well as to learn Y.   However, if the "as well as" is just a placeholder for "and", then isn't the comma before "as well as" wrong, since it "splits a compound predicate"?  Any help is appreciated. Thank you for your time and have a great day.
21323
which is correct:  Thank you for your and your team's time  or  Thank you for yours and your team's time  and should (or does it make a difference if) I place commas before and after "and your team's"  ... thanks!!
76361
What's the difference between these two phrases?