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I recently asked this question on ELU: Should there be a comma in "You again?"?

The answer to this question may be obvious to some of you, but for me, it isn't. I tried searching on ELU and other sites for an answer, but I couldn't find definitive information about this anywhere. I was hoping I'd get an answer here, but surprisingly the question was closed as 'off-topic':

Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic. A list of these references can be found here: List of general references

I checked the list of references, and as phenry says, none of the listed references answer the question. While I'm not sure what's the exact reason behind the closure, the only reason I can think of is that the question was too simple. Is that an acceptable reason for closing a question?

Should this question have been closed? If so, what is wrong with it it? And how can I improve it, so I don't repeat this mistake again?

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  • 1
    Now it's back open!
    – Mitch
    Nov 17, 2014 at 23:06
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    Sure it might not be a general reference question, but it's still a bad question. Just write whatever you want!
    – curiousdannii
    Nov 17, 2014 at 23:08
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    It's like asking where should I place the comma in: "Hello Amal". I could, if I wanted to, write: "Hello, Amal" If the sentence were a little longer then: "Oh, hello Amal!" So there's nothing to stop you from writing "Oh, you again (!)"; "Oh, you again?" or even "You. Again" It depends on what you want to convey. This piece of advice comes from a notoriously poor "punctuator" :) But I'm sure that pretty much explains the reasons for the closing votes.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 18, 2014 at 7:59
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    I feel this is a duplicate of a comma placement question that is similar to MariLou's example.
    – Kit Z. Fox Mod
    Nov 18, 2014 at 12:45
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    It's proofreading. One is encouraged to explain the source of confusion and what problem might be resolved by the answer.
    – SrJoven
    Nov 18, 2014 at 16:01
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    It is not proofreading as we define it, because the OP identified a specific concern with the text (i.e., the appropriateness of a comma at the specified position).
    – phenry
    Nov 18, 2014 at 19:40
  • @phenry but it is opinionable. There is no "right" way for punctuating that short phrase. It is the author's prerogative, it depends on what he wants to convey and express.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 27, 2014 at 8:39
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    @Mari-LouA - then the right answer is "There is no right way; it is your prerogative, and depends on what you want to convey and express." That's a good answer. Questions like this are not what "primarily opinion-based" is for. (And anyway, if it were opinion-based, why was it closed as GR?)
    – phenry
    Nov 27, 2014 at 16:04
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    @phenry I have voted to close it as such (POB) and I have left a comment to the OP explaining why. But he's never replied. Not yet.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 27, 2014 at 16:12

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