Anonymous  +  814106 Fri, 10 Jul 09 06:14 PM Hello, can anybody tell me if I have to put a comma after innovativeness or not?   Concerning the industrial design innovativeness(,) Mike and Jakob did not find a significance.   Thank you very much Lisa Anonymous Commas, Punctuation

	Goodman  +  814125 Fri, 10 Jul 09 06:29 PM As a rule, when participle phrase is used in a context, a comma is usually required. However, your sentnece makes little sense. Do you mean to say: "Mike and Bob have found no significant innovativeness in the industrial design"?  Goodman Joined on Mon, Nov 7 2005 Senior Member 3,816 The name says it all! Commas, Punctuation, Context

	Goodman  +  814293 Fri, 10 Jul 09 09:50 PM Anon, Go back and read my last post. "Concerning the industrial design innovativeness..." is a particple phrase, a comma is almost always required.    I am not sure why you are so hung up with "concerning". You added a few fancy words to your original sentence trying to improve the tone but regrettingly made it harder for reader to understand.  Concerning the industrial design innovativeness(,) Mike and Bob did not find a systematic pattern(,) which gave any indication that the importance of first-to-market strategy varies for different branches (no idea what that meant??).                           Goodman Commas, Punctuation, Sentences

	Grammar Geek  +  814297 Fri, 10 Jul 09 09:58 PM Anonymous “  Concerning the industrial design innovativeness(,) Mike and Bob did not find a systematic pattern(,) which gave any indication that the importance of first-to-market strategy varies for different branches.   Is the comma after innovativeness required? And what about the other comma after pattern, is this one required?   Thank you very much ”     Hi Anon, I'm sorry to say that this sentence makes little sense. I think you want the word "innovation" but I'm not sure what indicates the importance of the strategy. Is it the innovation, or their failure to find a systematic pattern? Finally, the last part "varies for different branches" seems un connected to the rest.   Can you try to say this again, using simpler sentences and maybe two sentences?   Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,506 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random! Commas, Punctuation, Sentences, Apologies