No comma before the vocative
Posted: 04 May 2024, 11:28
Hello, everyone. I'm writing up a review for the book I've just finished reading and I'm confused as to whether I should mark some mistakes I've found as typos or write them off as a matter of personal style.
Throughout the book, the author never uses commas before, and sometimes even after, vocatives. Some examples are "You must be mistaken sir", "Drop that chair leg my lad", "Come on Berman" and so on. There are also no commas in internal dialogue: "He must be careful he thought" instead of "He must be careful, he thought". Now, my questions are:
1. Should I count all of these as objective typos, or do I just think of them as part of the author's style, since this is how he writes all throughout?
2. Even if you ascribe them to personal style, should I at least mark them down as typos in the cases where not using a comma actually changes the meaning of the sentence (for example "Let him be lads" instead of "Let him be, lads", "I am mistress" instead of "I am, mistress")?
Thanks in advance!
Throughout the book, the author never uses commas before, and sometimes even after, vocatives. Some examples are "You must be mistaken sir", "Drop that chair leg my lad", "Come on Berman" and so on. There are also no commas in internal dialogue: "He must be careful he thought" instead of "He must be careful, he thought". Now, my questions are:
1. Should I count all of these as objective typos, or do I just think of them as part of the author's style, since this is how he writes all throughout?
2. Even if you ascribe them to personal style, should I at least mark them down as typos in the cases where not using a comma actually changes the meaning of the sentence (for example "Let him be lads" instead of "Let him be, lads", "I am mistress" instead of "I am, mistress")?
Thanks in advance!