2146: Waiting for the But - Revision history

ConscriptGuide: WLH

2023-08-09T19:34:01Z

WLH

ConscriptGuide: This appears to deserve Language category.

2023-08-09T19:31:22Z

This appears to deserve Language category.

JLZ0kTC5 at 12:03, 20 November 2022

2022-11-20T12:03:41Z

172.70.90.121: /* Explanation */ Commas are complex, so I couldn't let that simple explanation remain. Not that I've made the definitive addition, either, I'm sure.

2022-09-13T23:11:09Z

‎Explanation: Commas are complex, so I couldn't let that simple explanation remain. Not that I've made the definitive addition, either, I'm sure.

ISaveXKCDpapers: Added paragraph

2022-09-13T22:04:38Z

Added paragraph

Vandalbane: Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

2022-05-26T19:45:29Z

Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

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Donald Trump: Reverted edit by anti-crap user

2022-05-26T19:06:53Z

Reverted edit by anti-crap user

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Vandalbane: Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

2022-05-26T17:59:50Z

Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

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Donald Trump: Crapped page

2022-05-26T17:10:03Z

Crapped page

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Davidy22: Reverted edits by Explain xkcd server admin (talk) to last revision by Theusaf

2022-05-21T02:56:52Z

Reverted edits by Explain xkcd server admin (talk) to last revision by Theusaf

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@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 The title text gives another example of a sentence that will probably be followed by a "but". {{w|Multi-level marketing|Multi-level marketing schemes}} and the {{w|Spanish Inquisition}} are both considered bad in very different ways, so the implication that if the speaker has to apologize in advance for sounding like defending both of them, they must have a remarkably troubling idea in mind, involving somehow using a version of the Spanish Inquisition as an MLM scheme.
-Another possible explanation would be that when people hear a sentence that starts with "Listen, I'm" they tend to wait for the "but", and the longer it takes the more tension it may cause them, while the speaker may never intend to say "but". Similar ideas were used for [[365: Slides]] and [[559: No Pun Intended]].
+Another possible explanation would be that when people hear a sentence that starts with "Listen, I'm" they tend to wait for the "but", and the longer it takes the more tension it may cause them, while the speaker may never intend to say "but". Similar ideas were used for [[365: Slides]], [[559: No Pun Intended]] and [[2032: Word Puzzles]].
 ==Transcript==

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:31, 9 August 2023
Line 30:		Line 30:
	[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]		[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
	[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]		[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
		+	[[Category:Language]]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 In this comic, [[Cueball]] is having a conversation with [[Ponytail]], who lists several seemingly unrelated but agreeable positions, such as reducing {{w|car accidents}}, treating {{w|arson}} as a serious crime, and approving of {{w|American Humane|"No Animals were Harmed" disclaimers}} in modern media, with Cueball wondering when the "but.." of the statement will come, and conjuring increasingly outrageous images of what Ponytail could have in mind that involves violating all of them, for example some sort of reckless fiery car stunt involving animals.
-Notably, the "and" normally serves as an earlier indicator that a list is coming to the end, as it always comes right before the final entry. Perhaps, Cueball seems to have missed this, hence the continued apprehension. But being immediately proceded by a comma indicates either it is a {{w|Conjunction (grammar)#Coordinating conjunctions|coordinating sub-clause}} or, perhaps, an {{w|Oxford comma}}. (Although it seems unlikely that it is the latter, as it is most often applied to a string of more than three items being grouped, and is often considered more confusing than the situation it is supposed to grammatically clarify.)
+Notably, the "and" normally serves as an earlier indicator that a list is coming to the end, as it always comes right before the final entry. Perhaps, Cueball seems to have missed this, hence the continued apprehension. But being immediately proceeded by a comma indicates either it is a {{w|Conjunction (grammar)#Coordinating conjunctions|coordinating sub-clause}} or, perhaps, an {{w|Oxford comma}}. (Although it seems unlikely that it is the latter, as it is most often applied to a string of more than three items being grouped, and is often considered more confusing than the situation it is supposed to grammatically clarify.)
 The title text gives another example of a sentence that will probably be followed by a "but". {{w|Multi-level marketing|Multi-level marketing schemes}} and the {{w|Spanish Inquisition}} are both considered bad in very different ways, so the implication that if the speaker has to apologize in advance for sounding like defending both of them, they must have a remarkably troubling idea in mind, involving somehow using a version of the Spanish Inquisition as an MLM scheme.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 In this comic, [[Cueball]] is having a conversation with [[Ponytail]], who lists several seemingly unrelated but agreeable positions, such as reducing {{w|car accidents}}, treating {{w|arson}} as a serious crime, and approving of {{w|American Humane|"No Animals were Harmed" disclaimers}} in modern media, with Cueball wondering when the "but.." of the statement will come, and conjuring increasingly outrageous images of what Ponytail could have in mind that involves violating all of them, for example some sort of reckless fiery car stunt involving animals.
-Notably, the "and" serves as an earlier indicator that the list is coming to the end, as it always comes right before the final entry. However, Cueball seems to have missed this, hence the continued apprehension.
+Notably, the "and" normally serves as an earlier indicator that a list is coming to the end, as it always comes right before the final entry. Perhaps, Cueball seems to have missed this, hence the continued apprehension. But being immediately proceded by a comma indicates either it is a {{w|Conjunction (grammar)#Coordinating conjunctions|coordinating sub-clause}} or, perhaps, an {{w|Oxford comma}}. (Although it seems unlikely that it is the latter, as it is most often applied to a string of more than three items being grouped, and is often considered more confusing than the situation it is supposed to grammatically clarify.)
 The title text gives another example of a sentence that will probably be followed by a "but". {{w|Multi-level marketing|Multi-level marketing schemes}} and the {{w|Spanish Inquisition}} are both considered bad in very different ways, so the implication that if the speaker has to apologize in advance for sounding like defending both of them, they must have a remarkably troubling idea in mind, involving somehow using a version of the Spanish Inquisition as an MLM scheme.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:04, 13 September 2022
Line 11:		Line 11:

	In this comic, [[Cueball]] is having a conversation with [[Ponytail]], who lists several seemingly unrelated but agreeable positions, such as reducing {{w\|car accidents}}, treating {{w\|arson}} as a serious crime, and approving of {{w\|American Humane\|"No Animals were Harmed" disclaimers}} in modern media, with Cueball wondering when the "but.." of the statement will come, and conjuring increasingly outrageous images of what Ponytail could have in mind that involves violating all of them, for example some sort of reckless fiery car stunt involving animals.		In this comic, [[Cueball]] is having a conversation with [[Ponytail]], who lists several seemingly unrelated but agreeable positions, such as reducing {{w\|car accidents}}, treating {{w\|arson}} as a serious crime, and approving of {{w\|American Humane\|"No Animals were Harmed" disclaimers}} in modern media, with Cueball wondering when the "but.." of the statement will come, and conjuring increasingly outrageous images of what Ponytail could have in mind that involves violating all of them, for example some sort of reckless fiery car stunt involving animals.
		+
		+	Notably, the "and" serves as an earlier indicator that the list is coming to the end, as it always comes right before the final entry. However, Cueball seems to have missed this, hence the continued apprehension.

	The title text gives another example of a sentence that will probably be followed by a "but". {{w\|Multi-level marketing\|Multi-level marketing schemes}} and the {{w\|Spanish Inquisition}} are both considered bad in very different ways, so the implication that if the speaker has to apologize in advance for sounding like defending both of them, they must have a remarkably troubling idea in mind, involving somehow using a version of the Spanish Inquisition as an MLM scheme.		The title text gives another example of a sentence that will probably be followed by a "but". {{w\|Multi-level marketing\|Multi-level marketing schemes}} and the {{w\|Spanish Inquisition}} are both considered bad in very different ways, so the implication that if the speaker has to apologize in advance for sounding like defending both of them, they must have a remarkably troubling idea in mind, involving somehow using a version of the Spanish Inquisition as an MLM scheme.