Commas, too.

[Agiel]

I really like a comma, as against colons or semi-colons. But I shudder, as would my English teacher, at the thought of putting a comma before “too” in this instance.

“I have a question, too,” said Norman, raising his hand.
“I too have a question,” said Norman, raising his hand.
“I also have a question,” said Norman, raising his hand.

Or maybe just:

“I have a question,” said Norman, raising his hand, as soon as the teacher had answered Donald.

But that’s me and maybe you should just write as you prefer to get the point across. I don’t think the majority of readers will be bothered as long as the story is a good one. It’s only the grammar police who would be concerned about it.

 

[jehoram]

Have you tried Open Office or Libre Office? They shouldn't have any problem opening a Word 2003 document.

They don't. But when I was opening something in Libre Office I wrote long ago in Word, I found that it was flagging things that were not Britishisms. So I think that if you're an American, it might find a few things not to its liking in your prose.

As for the original question, I'd go with the comma. But I consider both of the following sentences to be correctly punctuated:

"I have a question, too."

"I have a question as well."

 

[Zeb_Carter]

They don't. But when I was opening something in Libre Office I wrote long ago in Word, I found that it was flagging things that were not Britishisms. So I think that if you're an American, it might find a few things not to its liking in your prose.

As for the original question, I'd go with the comma. But I consider both of the following sentences to be correctly punctuated:

"I have a question, too."

"I have a question as well."

But at least they opened it so you could edit the story and maybe save it as a Word 2010 format, yet I save mine as a Word 97 format and my Word 2010 doesn't have a problem with those.

And I find Grammarly would want a comma in the second sentence just before as.

"I have a question, as well."

 

[Athalia]

I don't have a problem with either way. But this is an example of how different publishing houses have different rules about such things. Their editors generally trump anybody else's opinions, and it's usually pointless to argue your position.

 

[LongDraw]

I'm shocked that no one referenced the "Oxford comma" which from what I understand is that basically you can't have enough commas in a sentence lol!

Ex: I went to the bathroom, to go pee, in the toilet, because I held it, so long I almost burst, at which point, I would have peed, my pants.

 

[KeithD]

I'm shocked that no one referenced the "Oxford comma" which from what I understand is that basically you can't have enough commas in a sentence lol!

The Oxford (or serial) comma is frequently discussed here.

 

[jehoram]

I'm shocked that no one referenced the "Oxford comma" which from what I understand is that basically you can't have enough commas in a sentence lol!

Ex: I went to the bathroom, to go pee, in the toilet, because I held it, so long I almost burst, at which point, I would have peed, my pants.

Not quite right. The "Oxford" (or "serial," or "Harvard") comma is use to make certain sentences clearer:

"Last night I visited my girlfriend, a linguistics expert and a whore."

See how this is different from

"Last night I visited my girlfriend, a linguistics expert, and a whore."

In the first sentence, it appears that we're talking about a single woman. In the second sentence, it's clear that we're talking about three different people.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm shocked that no one referenced the "Oxford comma" which from what I understand is that basically you can't have enough commas in a sentence lol!

Ex: I went to the bathroom, to go pee, in the toilet, because I held it, so long I almost burst, at which point, I would have peed, my pants.

That example doesn't have anything to do with the "Oxford" comma, which I prefer to call the serial comma. No grammar expert or editor would recommend using commas the way they are used in that example. The proper way to punctuate that sentence would be:

"I went to the bathroom to go pee in the toilet, because I held it so long I almost burst, at which point I would have peed in my pants."

But this has nothing to do with the Oxford/serial comma.

The serial comma is used before the word "and" when a sentence lists a series of things.

Example: I went to the store and bought beer, chips, and pizza.

That's an example of the use of the serial, or "Oxford" comma. Some people prefer not to use a comma before the word "and" in that sentence. I like to use a comma, because more often than not a comma enhances clarity.

 

[LongDraw]

It appears some of you didn't realize my example above was satirical in nature. Sorry you didn't get the joke. Carry on.

 

[SimonDoom]

It appears some of you didn't realize my example above was satirical in nature. Sorry you didn't get the joke. Carry on.

It's a common phenomenon in online communication. Tone doesn't come through as clearly as it does in spoken communication. Sarcasm is often lost.

 

[LongDraw]

It's a common phenomenon in online communication. Tone doesn't come through as clearly as it does in spoken communication. Sarcasm is often lost.

My bad. Next time I'll use more commas.

 

[Handley_Page]

.

If it is needed to clarify a passage, IE:
It's time to eat, Sarah.
It's time to eat Sarah.
(As a dirty old man, I prefer to imagine the second instance. )

Or as a teacher once told me, "If you would briefly pause while speaking the passage, a comma probably should be used."

Comshaw

I think your Teacher came from the same origins as mine.

 

[KeithD]

All of the mainstream publishers I've book edited for strictly use the serial comma--or did the last time I edited to any of them. They give priority to reader comprehension.

 

[Athalia]

All of the mainstream publishers I've book edited for strictly use the serial comma--or did the last time I edited to any of them. They give priority to reader comprehension.

As should we all.