Hi! Alexander,  
    
  On Fri, 23 Aug 13, you wrote to me:  
    
   PQ>> The sentence would still make sense if you drop the first comma.  
   PQ>> I. e. to read, "Yesterday at 9pm, without...".  
    
   ak> In one punctuation manual I read on this account the following rule:  
   ak> if a part of the sentence can be removed and the sentence meaning to  
   ak> be the same, you should separate such a part with commas.  
  [ ...trimmed... ]  
   ak>    Well, let's wait for Ardith's comment. ;)  
    
  Certainly.  However I was only interested in making a simple simplification,  
  without removing any of the provided _information_.  It was a nice anecdote,  
  as it stood.  
    
   ak>    PS: But the final rule in that manual was the following: "if you  
   ak> feel that in your sentence there are too many commas, throw out some  
   ak> of them.  
   ak> Abundance of commas cause more harm than help and hamper reading."  
   ak> ;-)  
    
  Yes.  Often times, they can cause people to scan the text faster than  
  desired;  
  too many comma breaks can have an opposite effect.  
    
   PQ>> By the way, we spell our neighbours with the extra "u" here.  
   PQ>> 'Neighbors' is a North American, and possibly Canadian,  
   PQ>> variation from the normal.  
    
   ak>    I know it - my choice was deliberate. In school I studied British  
   ak> English, but when I and Everette checked my translation he was very  
   ak> unhappy with my British spelling. And I decided to write as an  
   ak> American. ;-) Actually I can't please everyone on this account.  
    
  :)  It is no great chore.  Some of the North American modifications make a  
  lot  
  of sense.  I just have a little difficulty with letting go of clues as to  
  the  
  origins of our words.  Even the old English word that doesn't use the  
  letters  
  'i' or 'o' still rings true to the ear.  
    
   ak>>> Daddy, I've got two question for you. Can I have more pocket  
   ak>>> money and why not?  
   PQ>> That's two _questions_. :)  
    
   ak>    I am a poor corrector. And I still pretend that I can manage  
   ak> without glasses. ;-)  
    
  You shouldn't.  There is no shame in using spectacles, and they can impart  
  an  
  aura of intelligence at a first-time meeting with strangers.  
    
   ak>    Well, it is like a snowman, but female. ;) She is made of snow,  
   ak> you are right. But it demands a lot of snow and a carrot (for the  
   ak> nose). ;)  
    
  Of course; I knew this.  It's just that we don't usually see any evidence of  
  frozen water here, even in the coldest winters.  
    
   ak> That acquisitions in the snowwoman's body were not made from debris  
   ak> that accumulated every year. With every year passing the boy paid more  
   ak> and more attention to those details he didn't notice when he was  
   ak> younger. PS: In short, his last version was with breasts. ;=)  
    
  Yes.  I knew this too.  I was being 'difficult'.  I'm not that old... yet.  
  :)  
    
  Cheers,  
  Paul.  
    
  ... What is the difference between a dog and a fox?  About 5 drinks.  
  --- Paul's Win98SE VirtualBox  
   * Origin: Quinn's Post - Maryborough, Queensland, OZ (3:640/384)