The $2 million comma...yeah, punctuation doesn't matter

Rogers Communication, Canada's largest cable provider, had a contract cancelled because of a misplaced comman.

So much for the anal punctuation police:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...OGERS07/TPStory/?query=2+million+dollar+comma

Language buffs take note -- Page 7 of the contract states: The agreement "shall continue in force for a period of five years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party."

Rogers' intent in 2002 was to lock into a long-term deal of at least five years. But when regulators with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) parsed the wording, they reached another conclusion.

The validity of the contract and the millions of dollars at stake all came down to one point -- the second comma in the sentence

 

We're talkin' 'bout practice!

 

Constable HC of the Anal Spelling Police, at your service. 

 

Ironically, the hyphen in the header is unneccesary.

 

Yeah, but it won't cost the Globe $2 million.

 

Not having seen the entire sentence in question, you can make a point that neither comma is needed.

So is the government giving it's one-year notice and opting out after five years. Or are they bowing out prior to the five years?

 

Wow! An its-it's error on this thread. Irony overload!

 

It's not the government. Rogers is a huge bigass company (they own the Blue Jays and Sportsnet TV) amongst other thigns.

The complete sentence is there.

I don't know, I can understand the problem with the second comma but I think you need the first one.

 

I hate Rogers - former cell phone was a Rogers, absolute piece of crap - so I find this hilarious.

Beyond that, this story should be printed off, copied and handed out to english and journalism students everywhere, just to emphasise the importance of correct punctuation.

 

I think you need both, or else the sentence gets a little messy when you get to the "unless and until" part.

 

Beef, Rogers doesn't make cell phones. They just rip you off for their phone service, cable TV and internet hook-up.

We pay around $200.00 a month to those pirates.

BTW, next time anyone whines about government bureaucracy, trust me on this: getting through to any Canadian government department is infinitely easier and less hassle than dealing with this corporate behemoth.

It is impossible to contact anyone other than a "client service representative' who are really nothing more than an extension of the sales department and there's absolutely no way to talk to the same person twice.

 

This is why it cracks me up when people down here say they don't want national health care because of the governement bureaucracy that will follow. Anytime I've ever dealt with an insurance company on the phone, it made calling the DMV seem more fun than phone sex.