Quote Originally Posted by Shwenn View Post
Okay, now, that really messes up the minds of people who learn almost all their grammar from reading. I didn't think the comman splice thing was even really a rule. I thought it was like splitting infinitives, one of those things nobody actually cares about.
Yeah, it bothers people. It bothers me, at least, since it looks breathless and weak when I read it. Examples from some other writer:
Getting this over and done with quickly was in everyone's best interests I thought, I could live with the discomfort for the two weeks.
Looks basically unpunctuated and impossible to read aloud. Try:
Getting this over and done with quickly was in everyone's best interests, I thought. I could live with the discomfort for the two weeks.
I'd have to conclude that commas are not periods, and no amount of apathy will make them periods...

I, too, get all my grammar knowledge from reading, not from grammar teachers. The teachers just showed me what to call the errors. And yeah, I see them and they pop me right out of the story.