Taking pen pal applications but no funny business will be tolerated.
Not everyone will be accepted. WhatsApp or on here is fine. This may also be a joke, so JK, no really. 🫡
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BuzzedLightyear · 61-69
StrictLoving · 56-60, M
@BuzzedLightyear According to most modern style guides—including The Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook—a comma is recommended before coordinating conjunctions like but when they join two independent clauses.
In this sentence:
…the second part (no funny business will be tolerated) is a complete independent clause with its own subject and verb. The first part is a fragment, but it functions as a complete idea in casual, stylized writing. In such cases, inserting a comma before but isn’t just grammatically fine—it improves clarity and gives the sentence its rhythm and punch.
Even in informal settings like social posts, that comma creates a deliberate pause, emphasizing the tonal shift from playful to firm. Removing it flattens the impact.
Trust your instincts, Aidan.
😌
In this sentence:
Taking pen pal applications, but no funny business will be tolerated.
…the second part (no funny business will be tolerated) is a complete independent clause with its own subject and verb. The first part is a fragment, but it functions as a complete idea in casual, stylized writing. In such cases, inserting a comma before but isn’t just grammatically fine—it improves clarity and gives the sentence its rhythm and punch.
Even in informal settings like social posts, that comma creates a deliberate pause, emphasizing the tonal shift from playful to firm. Removing it flattens the impact.
Trust your instincts, Aidan.
😌