3 Examples of How a Comma Can Change Meaning

3 Examples of How a Comma Can Change Meaning 3 Examples of How a Comma Can Change Meaning 3 Examples of How a Comma Can Change Meaning By Mark Nichol Omission of a lowly comma often alters the intent of a sentence, as demonstrated in the following examples, each followed by discussion and a revision. 1. Customers likely to be the target of any kind of prosecution under this law include individuals who use tax planners such as celebrities and politicians. This sentence mistakenly implies that celebrities and politicians sometimes double as tax planners, but the terms for those classes of people are modifying individuals, not â€Å"tax planners,† so either relocate the pertinent phrase â€Å"such as celebrities and politicians† to follow individuals, or simply set the phrase off with a comma: â€Å"Customers likely to be the target of any kind of prosecution under this law include individuals who use tax planners, such as celebrities and politicians.† 2. Within three years, the company projects that 67 percent of all spending on enterprise information technology will target cloud-based products and services. Omission of a comma to complement the one preceding what should be a parenthetical phrase leads to the erroneous implication that the projection is directly tied to the period specified. But â€Å"the company projects† is merely an attribution, and â€Å"within three years† pertains to the percentage figure, not the projection: â€Å"Within three years, the company projects, 67 percent of all spending on enterprise information technology will target cloud-based products and services.† (Note also the deletion of that.) 3. Organizational structure does not specifically represent a building block of procurement success- at least not in the way that cost analysis, sourcing or savings methodology and tracking do. Does this sentence refer to cost analysis, sourcing, and savings methodology and tracking, or does it refer to cost analysis, sourcing or savings methodology, and tracking? The context may be clear for experts, but a layperson may be perplexed, and even someone very familiar with these concepts may be momentarily puzzled. If your publication does not customarily employ serial commas, use one nevertheless when one or more items in an in-line list (one appearing within a sentence) is complex (â€Å"a and b†). Better yet, always use the serial comma: â€Å"Organizational structure does not specifically represent a building block of procurement success- at least not in the way that cost analysis, sourcing, or savings methodology and tracking do.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Farther vs. Further45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†20 Ways to Laugh

Deadweight Tonnage

Deadweight Tonnage Deadweight tonnage (DWT) refers to the carrying capacity of a vessel. Deadweight tonnage can be figured by taking the weight of a vessel which is not loaded with cargo and subtracting that figure from the weight of the vessel loaded to point where it is immersed to the maximum safe depth. This depth is noted with a marking on the ships hull, the Plimsoll line. The safe depth varies by the time of year and water density and, in the case of DWT, the summer freeboard line is the measurement used. The displacement of water due to the load is measured in metric tons (tonnes or 1,000 kilograms). The deadweight tonnage includes not only cargo, but also the weight of fuel, ballast, passengers and crew, and all of the provisions. It only excludes the weight of the ship itself. Example A vessel that weighs 2000 tons unloaded carries 500 tons crew and supplies. It can take on 500 tons of cargo in port, at which time it floats at the summer line of its Plimsoll line. The deadweight of this vessel would, therefore, be 1000 tons. Deadweight Tonnage vs. Displacement Tonnage Deadweight tonnage is distinct from  displacement tonnage, which includes the weight of the ship as well as its carrying capacity. Lightweight tonnage is the weight of the ship itself, including the hull, decking, and machinery, but not including ballast or any supplies that could be consumed, such as fuel and water (except for the liquids in the engine room systems). Deadweight tonnage is the displacement tonnage minus the lightweight tonnage.

Behavioural Finance and Real Option Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Behavioural Finance and Real Option - Assignment Example For instance, investing in a specific project, downsizing, and expansion or disposing of other projects. Others may include licensing, R&D and M&A. Real options differ from financial options in that financial options cover short maturities that usually expire in many months. On the other hand, real options contain longer maturity that expires in many years with some specific options having expiring dates that are not finite. The assets contained in financial options are the stock prices compared to business variables that are in real options. Such variables include market demand, cash flow and commodity prices. Hence, in the application of real options to analyze physical assets, there should be carefulness in choosing an underlying variable. The reason behind this is that volatility measures employed in the model relate to an underlying variable. In financial option, as a result of inside trade regulations, these holders’ option cannot influence stock price to their benefit. However, real options’ decisions increase the real options of the project value as there are strategic options that can be made by management . Real options have more value compared to financial options. Financial options for many years have been traded but real options just emerged recently more so in the market. The two options can be arrived at using same approaches inclusive of finite differences, differential equations, simulations and binomial lattices. The` reason is that binomial lattices can be easily explained and taken in by managers of a firm as the method is easily understood. Lastly, financial options base their facts on securities traded in markets and asset prices enabling them to be objective. At Real options, in contrast, are based on assets that are not traded in the market and seldom, there are proxies that are financially traded. Therefore, management assumptions are vital in  real options valuing and not important in financial option valuing. Given a specific project, the management is in a position to strategize which will help them in future.