Better punctuation option?

English translation: comma

05:49 Mar 10, 2011

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Linguistics

English term or phrase: Better punctuation option?

I am wondering if I should use the colon (:) option, or even a dash option, in constructing this sentence as in:
--- X is a culinary professional with over 15 years' experience in teaching cooking: both privately and at Community College in xxxx.
Or, is there some better way of putting this sentence together as in:
--- X is a culinary professional with over 15 years’ experience in teaching cooking both privately and at Community College at xxxxx.
I'm having some punctuational issues at this time. :-) Thank you.

Joyce A KudoZ activity Questions: 289 (1 open) (5 without valid answers) (6 closed without grading) Answers: 1043 Thailand
Local time: 08:35

Selected answer:comma

Explanation:
My preference here would be to use a comma; as others have said, a colon, dash, etc. would feel quite wrong.

I advocate the use of the comma because the sentence is very long, and it helps the reader to break it up at the logical break point, since what follows is to some extent parenthetical.

Actually, I think you might do better to turn the sentence around a bit; am I the only one to find 'teaching cooking' awkward and uncomfortable?

I do find it slighlty odd to use the quite pompous word 'culinary', and then follow it with the much more homely 'cooking', to me the register doesn't really fit at all. I think it all very much depends on just what level of cooking is involved here, and the actual overall context.

I can't help thinking "...is a professional chef" (for example) might sound better, or more generally something to do with the catering trade / profession; and you might want to see if you can't use 'haute cuisine', 'cordon bleu cuisine', or something more elegant than mere 'cooking'. Alternatively, you might consider getting rid of one of the '-ing's — "... a cookery teacher with 15 years experience...", that sort of idea...

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Note added at 4 hrs (2011-03-10 10:26:53 GMT)
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One argument for inserting a comma might be to avoid a possible ambiguity: without the comma, it might be read as if it was the cooking that was taking place in these 2 situations, rather then the teaching. Yet another reason IMHO to restructure the sentence a little.

Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 03:35

Grading comment

A comma it is for me. Thank you, Tony! :-)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +8

comma

Tony M

3 +5

no punctuation mark

Ivan Borshchevsky

Answers

3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

better punctuation option? no punctuation mark

Explanation:
I usually use no punctuation mark

Ivan Borshchevsky
Local time: 04:35
Native speaker of:

Russian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

JaneTranslates: I would probably use a comma, but no mark is also acceptable in this context. I certainly would not use a colon or dash.

11 mins

-> Thanks

neutral

Ambrose Li: I would use a comma too.

16 mins

-> I agree with comma (sometimes I use it ) but usually there is no mark here. Thank you

agree

Jim Tucker (X): Generally speaking, optional commas tend to be less used nowadays than a generation ago.

1 hr

-> Thank you

agree

Armorel Young: Agree with Jane - comma would be fine, but colon, semicolon or dash would feel positively wrong.

2 hrs

-> Thank you

agree

Jack Doughty: with preference for comma

2 hrs

-> Thank you

agree

Jenni Lukac (X): No solid argument for putting a comma using today's style guidelines.