Search results for 'tag:Commas tag:Before and After' matching tags 'Commas' and 'Before and After'

Re: Grammar Suggestion

Mr Wordy — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:57:05 GMT

Looks pretty much OK to me! Just a couple of comments:

Today, in such a warm evening glow, different colors streaming in through the open window over [?] the blue wall, I feel much relaxed -- light as fur ...

I took out the comma after "window". The comma isn't wrong but to me the sentence reads better without it (others may have a different view). I also put a space before the dash. Spacing around dashes is optional (in proper typeset work some people use a "thin space"), but in my view if you do use them then you should use them both before and after.

To indicate that the sentence continues beyond what you've written, it's usual to use three dots (...) rather than two. (I assume that's what you meant by the two dots.)

Final point. Previously I've been assuming that "over the blue wall" meant that the colors were streaming in over the wall. This is why I suggested "different colors streaming in over the blue wall through the open window" -- because, on their journey from (presumably) the sun, the colors pass over the wall before they come through the window. It's just occurred to me, however, that you might be saying that the window is over the wall. If so, then I'd be tempted to change "over" to "above" to avoid the ambiguity.

Re: Punctuation

Clive — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:30:17 GMT

Hi,

Please tell me if they are punctuated correctly.

1. He is unable to move; thus, it will be hard for him to come to your house today. OK, but I'd prefer a period to a semi-colon.

2. He has hurt himself in a traffic accident. It will thus be hard for him to come to your house today. OK

3. Josh is from a farm country. He however likes the life of city. -- What difference would it make if I enclose the adverb 'however' with commas? I see it as necessary.

With regard to the use of commas when such adverbs, I'd say it's really a question of native speaker instinct. ie In a particular context, do I feel that a pause before and after the word is required?

4. You should cover all the chapters for the exam, or you will otherwise face difficulty when you take exam tomorrow. -- What difference would it make if I enclose the adverb 'otherwise' with commas? It will make the listener think a bit more about the word 'otherwise'.

Since you have said 'or', do you feel that 'otherwise' is also necessary?

5. The bus is packed with people daily. It will therefore be very difficult for you to spot her in the bus. -- What difference if I enclose the adver 'therefore' with commas? It will make the listener think a bit more about the word 'therefore'.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: Hyphen

Feebs11 — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:12:46 GMT

"en-rules" = printer's term for what most people call dashes.

Yes, you could use commas or parentheses "( )". People tend to use dashes to indicate a longer pause before and after the clause if the sentence is spoken.

Re: Commas and prepositional phrases

Clive — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:54:30 GMT

Hi,

I recently wrote a paper for a class and was told that several of my commas were in error. I offset some prepositional phrases with commas and was told that this is incorrect. I am pretty sure I do this often, but I have never before had a teacher tell me it is wrong. One of the teacher's rules of commas is to set off unessential elements, but apparently there is an exception if the element is a prepositional phrase?

Here are my sentences:

Though the study is not large, with results that can be generalized, it provides a successful framework that could be used by other pharmacies to develop similar programs. I wouldn't say the first comma is wrong, but I'd consider omitting it if you use that wording. Really, I'd prefer to reword the sentence as Though the study is not large and does not have results that can be generalized, . . .

You need the second comma, of course.

Like the research articles, the next two sections, on tools for advancing pharmacy practice and experience, are intended to provide information to pharmacists. Here, I'd just say that the commas are optional. They make the reader pause before and after the phrase, and thus cause him to reflect on it a bit more. In other words, they add a bit of emphasis to the phrase in my opinion.

You may already be aware that, in modern English, there is a trend to use fewer commas, as they are sometimes felt to add unnecessary clutter. eg The red commas here could be omitted. However, your approach does not seem wrong to me

Best wishes, Clive

Re: Commas and brackets (parentheses)

Clive — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:30:25 GMT

Hi,

I've written a document and the reviewer has indicated that I should have a comma before and after my brackets. For example: "another job (listed in TOAD) which is..." becomes "another job, (listed in TOAD), which is...".

Is this grammatically correct?

It's a question of style rather than of grammar. I'd prefer to omit the commas, as it seems to me less disruptive to the readrer's eye and mind when reading the sentence. Commas represent brief pauses, and I think the reader will also naturally pause briefly at a bracket.

Best wishes, Clive

Commas and brackets (parentheses)

Anonymous — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:08:15 GMT

Hi everybody.

Is this grammatically correct?

Thanks,

Gil

Re: Putting Who? What? Where? How? When? into a sentence, how is it punctuated?

Spides — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:31:07 GMT

Welcome to the forums!

I suppose you could say--So I start with basics. I ask myself, "Who? What? Where? How? When? Why?" Then your questions will be in a sentence. But I actually don't see a problem with saying it just the way you did originally.

In your first sentence, you should probably set off the clause "as I read over the assignment sheet about eighty more times" with commas before and after. Then I would add the word "should," as "my mind starts thinking about what I should do..."

Finally, I would make the last phrase "or just anything that pops in my head (into my head?) about the assignment I scribble down" into a separate sentence--with a comma after "assignment."

But on the whole the piece is quite clear.

Re: Optional commas.

Yankee — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:29:48 GMT

I would put commas between therefore because that gives a speaker a pause.

The lack of a pause is precisely why I would not use a comma in the third sentence. I would not pause there -- probably because that is not an unusual location in that sentence for the word 'therefore'.

However, the words 'of course' and 'however' definitely interrupt the sentence when inserted in the middle of "I think", and I would pause before and after if I inserted those words in that particular place when speaking.

Re: Comma after this quote??

Philip — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:02:30 GMT

Anonymous wrote:

Where would the commas be (if any) in this sentence?

-- The quote "Romance at short notice was her specialty" shows that she is rather skilled at making up stories like these.

Thanks!

My inclination is to use the comma before and after the quotes. Some may disagree, and I can live with that.

Re: IC, and therefore IC. Where do commas go?

Feebs11 — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:11:42 GMT

Frankly, I would not put any commas in.

At most, your first option is the one to go for.

From the point of comma usage, in your second sentence, you require the commas before and after "therefore", but not the one after "sentence".