Do me a favor and shut up.

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probus

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emsr2d2

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If there were a comma in "Do me a favour and shut up", it would sound/look as if the person were asking/telling you to do two separate things:
1. Do me a favour.
2. Shut up.

That's not the case. They're telling you to shut up - that is the favour.
 

99bottles

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If there were a comma in "Do me a favour and shut up", it would sound/look as if the person were asking/telling you to do two separate things:
1. Do me a favour.
2. Shut up.

That's not the case. They're telling you to shut up - that is the favour.
Your post reminded me of a sentence I have written somewhere in my manuscript: Trust me, and follow me.

Now I'm not sure whether this counts as one or two things. 😅 Is a comma needed there? Any help?
 

emsr2d2

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It looks like two things to me. I wouldn't use a comma though. If you want the person to follow you as evidence that they trust you, say "Trust me - follow me".
 

99bottles

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It looks like two things to me. I wouldn't use a comma though. If you want the person to follow you as evidence that they trust you, say "Trust me - follow me".
So is Trust me and follow me (without comma) wrong?
 

Phaedrus

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It's as if the "and" functioned as a colon in these types of favor-oriented imperatives:

Do me a favor: shut up.
Give me a hand: set the table.
 
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