Help using commas commas and more commas...

I'm trying to correct my exercise.
Place the comma where it belongs.


1. They became ill during the long, severe winter.

2. No he hasn't called on us either, this month or last month.

3. After he began the metting he said, "I'm going home."

4. Little Rock, Arkansas was the scene of tragedy and strife.

5. The new machine, which I haven't ever learned to operate is out of order.

6. Did the novelist Ernest Hemingway once live here? (I don't think a comma is needed)

Your help is appreciated.

(I've added the comma where I believe it should placed.

Hello, Need2Know

Sentence #1 is correct. It's not the only option, though.

2. I'd rewrite it as:
"No, he hasn't called on us either this month or last (month). "

3.
"After he began the metting, he said 'I'm going home'."
"After he began the metting he said 'I'm going home'."

4.
"Little Rock, Arkansas, was the scene of tragedy and strife."

5.
"The new machine, which I haven't ever learned to operate, is out of order."
"The new machine which I haven't ever learned to operate is out of order."
In the first case, either the listener knows what machine you're referring to or there is only one new machine.
In the second case (without commas) there may be several new machines and you want to make clear that the machine you're referring to is the one you don't know how to use.

6.
"Did the novelist Ernest Hemingway once live here?"
You don't put "Ernest Hemmingway" between commas if the listener doesn't know beforehand what novelist you're talking about.
On the other hand, if his name has been mentioned before and it is understood you're stil talking about Hemmingway, you could use commas.

I hope it helps. Surely, though, you'll get some different opinions from others here.

Miriam

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I've come back to add something: I've just noticed that "either", in sentence #2, can refer either to time (this mont or last month) or to the people who haven't been called on ("us" in addition to someone else who hasn't been called on either). That would make the position of the comma change.

i have never used this site but i do have a question for anyone out there.... how would i say : "Yes, I am a spaz, but don't judge me yet." ? is this the right use of commas or do i need some guidance!!??? HEELLLPPP?

thx   ala

Need2Know wrote:

I'm trying to correct my exercise. Place the comma where it belongs. 1. They became ill during the long, severe winter. 2. No he hasn't called on us either, this month or last month. 3. After he began the metting he said, "I'm going home." 4. Little Rock, Arkansas was the scene of tragedy and strife. 5. The new machine, which I haven't ever learned to operate is out of order. 6. Did the novelist Ernest Hemingway once live here? (I don't think a comma is needed) Your help is appreciated. (I've added the comma where I believe it should placed.

Perhaps this is another American thing, but here you always put a comma before AND after the state name when a city name is also included.

A comment on Miriam's post on the restrictive vs. non-restrictive - if you don't use the comma and want to use the phrase to differentiate which machine, then you would use "that" instead of "which."

Edited: Apparently the difference between that and which with the former being used only for restrictive and the latter for non-restrictive is not universal. One site I just looked at says in particular that BrE doesn't differentiate this way, although AmE does.