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Does a greeting like, "Welcome, Campers" require a comma after "Welcome"? Or can you write "Welcome Campers"?

This would be for a sign, or an email where the opening sentence is, "Welcome campers!"

I have argued that "Welcome campers" means something different than "Welcome, campers." It could be read as an imperative sentence. But where I work they keep wanting to go without the comma.

debbiesym
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  • As 'Welcome, Campers' does not reach sentence level, grammaticality is not really a major concern. Lack of clarity is always an overriding cause for concern, but I don't think anyone is going to assume the imperative sentence if the comma is omitted (except for the cheap laugh). The comma does look rather stuffy / old-fashioned in headlinese. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 20 '17 at 22:52

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Direct address normally requires a comma before the name of the person being addressed:

Come here, Tom.

Get the lead out, Barney.

See, Anita? That's how it's done.

Welcome, campers!

You will see this "rule" broken with abandon in YouTube comments and Imgur posts, as well as on Twitter and Facebook. But in normal (i.e., semi-formal to formal writing), you would be well advised to honor the comma.

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Robusto
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No

The comma is not required. As @EdwinAshworth pointed out above, some grammar guides will advise it in order to distinguish a command to greet someone from the greeting itself. Really, it's perfectly clear which of the two senses is intended from context.

On the other hand, it isn't impermissible either, just because it's a salutation.

In practice, what you're going to see is people who write it Welcome Campers as a headline or who say it quickly and others who write it Welcome, Campers[!] who consider it a sentence and will speak it with a pause between the two words.

Edit: I thought we were just talking about the sign. In an email, I'd view it as a sentence and include the comma. Your examples are backwards: the version without the comma (even heading an email) shouldn't have any punctuation at the end. The version with the comma (even on the sign) should be punctuated.

lly
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What is strictly grammatically correct any more in modern English? All users have been consciously or unconsciously modifying the language and its usage, making English the true 'everyman's language' in every sense of the term. Since the modern language is very flexible, almost everything has become a matter of taste.

I personally like the comma in "Welcome, campers" -- in fact my sister N, who really likes the vibrant effect of the exclamation mark, would text it as

"Welcome, Campers!"

English Student
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