comma, finally

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Anonymous

#299275 Thu, 30 Nov 06 04:37 PM

Do I need a comma after the word "finally?"

My dog ate the rug, ran away, got lost, and finally came home.

Is "finally" an introductory word even though it is used at the end of the sentence?

Thanks

Anonymous

Commas

Tidus

#299289 Thu, 30 Nov 06 05:45 PM

It reads fine to me without the comma, but you can put one in if you want.

How do you know that your dog got lost? It might have been happy wandering around for a while, but knew its way home. Smile [:)]

Tidus

Joined on Mon, Nov 27 2006

England

Full Member (360)

Commas

TommyT

#299513 Fri, 01 Dec 06 11:23 AM

Perhaps you may put commas around finally if you want to emphasise that your dog has FINALLY come home.

TommyT

Joined on Fri, Dec 1 2006

New Member (14)

Commas

Dejanm83

#299529 Fri, 01 Dec 06 12:20 PM

I think there's a difference in meaning.

If you put the comma behind finally, you're simply listing the things which the dog did, and coming home is the last (final) one of those things. (And that is, I believe, the intended meaning)
My dog ate the rug, ran away, got lost, and finally, came home.

If you say
My dog ate the rug, ran away, got lost, and finally came home.
you're saying that you waited in anticipation for the dog to do all these things before it eventually came home.

Dejanm83

Joined on Fri, Nov 17 2006

Bosnia and Herzegowina

New Member (16)

Commas

Marius Hancu

#299553 Fri, 01 Dec 06 01:24 PM

Dejanm83 wrote:
I think there's a difference in meaning.

If you put the comma behind finally, you're simply listing the things which the dog did, and coming home is the last (final) one of those things. (And that is, I believe, the intended meaning)
My dog ate the rug, ran away, got lost, and finally, came home.

If you say
My dog ate the rug, ran away, got lost, and finally came home.
you're saying that you waited in anticipation for the dog to do all these things before it eventually came home.