a comma

Hi, everyone. Can I omit a comma in the sentence below.

If you make a request using language that is too polite and too formal for the situation, you run the risk of sounding insincere.

The original sentence doesn't have a comma at my text book .  My understanding is this: If the subject doesn't change, you can leave comma out. But I have a doubt, because the whole sentence is too long.

Further more, we shouldn't drop 'a' before 'language', should we?

Thanks.

LiJ

The original sentence doesn't have a comma at my text book .  My understanding is this: If the subject doesn't change, you can leave comma out. But I have a doubt, because the whole sentence is too long.

Hi LiJ,
I think the sentence is easier to read with that comma, and is ok without it.

Further more, we shouldn't drop 'a' before 'language', should we?

Thanks, Fleder, Philip, and CB.

I understand how to use a comma.

Although all of your answers are very helpful to me, I'm a bit confused. The reason why an article can't be used is that in the same way we could say 'I can speak English', not 'a English', right?

Thanks.

LiJ

Liveinjapan wrote:

Although all of your answers are very helpful to me, I'm a bit confused. The reason why an article can't be used is that in the same way we could say 'I can speak English', not 'a English', right?

You can say so.

Though "english" here refer to a language and "language" in the above sentence refer to a style of language, you've already known them. About style of english, you may want to say "an easy english" to imply a kind of english full of mistakes due to careless using.