(6) Hershey Sampson, of Maple Avenue, died in the collision. Not necessarily for the reader, who should pick up the nuances, but perhaps for the writer not sure how to write or punctuate what he needs to convey. To test if a clause is indeed nonessential, leave it out and reread the … Consider each nonessential, even though they may seem to be essential. I suggest keeping the second comma with each but dropping the first. I’m guessing that the second meaning is the one you want, that India’s identity lies in its diversity. The second part, after the comma, is not essential to the thrust of the sentence. (It looks as though you’re telling Heidi that you need to speak with your wife, no? What’s important here, what’s essential, is the first part of the sentence. As for parentheses, it depends. Note: Remember that you can move most nonessential words or phrases around in a sentence or pluck them out and the sentence will still make sense and the meaning will not change. Welcome. Sam, the very long reply to your great question in here, Commas with Subordinate Clauses. However, I don’t understand why there is no comma before “and he’s so happy.” Isn’t it a new main clause, and aren’t these introduced by commas? It may be the only one in the room or it may have already been singled out—it is the portrait. if we don’t use comma, then it means that we are talking about one particular India out of many. That’s a tough spot to be in. In sentences like these, always omit commas. Commas are going to be my downfall in my writing, so I’m trying hard to read everything I can on comma usage. that follow an independent clause are essential, some are nonessential and require commas. Are A and B correct in number 1? This would require a comma. will be there. B) it is a big spider with hairy legs It’s likely the narrator has only one best friend. The use of which and the comma indicate the presence of a non-essential clause. Maybe you could share more.). (Comma required/needed after “New Jersey”? That clauses following a verb expressing mental action are always essential. Examples: John stayed home from school because he was sick and contagious. For the second, CMOS suggests no comma before then at the end of sentences when you’re talking about “the appointed time.” But you would include one when then is used to mean “in that case.”. Can you give me an example? (I say no comma after “et al.” here, because the sentence is “Mike and others will be there.” We wouldn’t write, “Mike and others, will be there.”. ), Mike, et al. “It’s lovely and clean there, and there are lots of toys that he can play with and he’s so happy.” The page is about both relative clauses and punctutation. So,beth… Jake, you’re right about the possibility that these sentences could be read multiple ways. Add a true closing afterwards. Let’s look at examples. A) a big spider hairy legs If not, why? Jake, it’s likely that you can use thanks followed by a comma in an informal letter or e-mail, but some “experts” don’t consider thanks a complimentary closing and would recommend a period after it. Yet by moving the words around, this also works—India, whose identity lies in its diversity, is a multicultural and multilingual land. Thbanks. The words in blue are appositives. (Unrelated events), She had thrown breadcrumbs to the swimming ducks when a man on a bike had accidentally ridden too close. For fun, a few more examples. Or give each element a sentence of its own. Most of the information that you’ve set off could actually be essential or nonessential. Please help me. The use of who gives us the same opportunities, in terms of both meaning and potential problems, that that and which give us. You are saying, Actually, he’s quite abrasive. In the example, if you take out the clause ‘who have ticket numbers between 1 and 50’ then the whole point of the sentence is negated. If not, could you please show me how to punctuate this exact greeting using “Hi” and “Hello” with “there” when presented on a line by itself? That is used for essential phrases and which is used for nonessential. Yet we can also make the style choice to exclude a comma. Use commas to separate three or more items in a list or series, yet don’t insert a comma between the compound subject and the verb. You can see that in each of the sentences above, removing the words in blue doesn’t create a nonsense sentence; the meaning is still clear. Amber was the girl who’d been Matt’s girlfriend for eight years. She was the woman seen wandering the streets at night, whose son had been lost at the lake. in your sentence with Mike. Non-essential clauses also usually begin with a subordinating conjunction (see below). Examples: John stayed home from school because he was sick and contagious.Being “sick and co… Hammers, pliers, and so on, are needed for the project. Your brother told me I should write to you. ): “To confirm his belief in an eternal paradise over which God had dominion was essential”. either. It’s not likely that all confessed they’d cheated on their wives. If you remove the information set off by commas (whether essential or not) the sentences below still make sense. Subordinate clauses may come first in a sentence, but they’re still subordinate. Let’s say this man is taking about hope in general. Writing Workshop: Commas with Essential and Nonessential Clauses. My fear is that by using commas I would be making the paranthetical information inferior or subordinate to the main subject when in fact it should receive equal weight. An essential adjective clause provides necessary information about the subject that when taken out, makes a sentence vague or nonsensical. There is absolutely no consensus on this one. It has been identified. (Comma required/needed after “France”? D) is the fourth planet of the sun. Timmy followed the puppy, as the kidnapper had intended for him to do. Some American writers follow the British practice and mix and match their thats and whiches. Does this help or have I increased the confusion? Please be advised that Mr. Cummings will resign on May 6. Note: Because so many writers have been encouraged to delete most uses of the word that, they sometimes use which when that is actually the proper and necessary word. A phrase, clause, or word is nonessential if the sentence makes sense and is complete without it. Conversely, a nonessential clause is set off by punctuation that visually marks it as separate from the main part of the sentence. I meant “commas around Heidi” above. (See Commas with Subordinate Clauses.) My best friend, Corwin, told me he’d cheated on his wife. This is a restrictive relative clause. In the first sentence of the second set, the discussion is about one particular portrait. What about the appositive in that sentence? This one was a bit detailed, with specifics for word choice and punctuation. LOL – I’ve spent days trying to find an explanation for that comma. But you know my suggestion—you can always rewrite so that there’s no chance of confusion at all. I’m trying to think of a logical way to introduce two subordinate clauses with the same subordinating conjunction, but I’m having trouble coming up with an example. I have one regarding this sort of structure: “The police officer pleaded guilty to careless driving, after crashing his car into a fence.”. In the shorter sentence—I ate because I was hungry—all the words are essential for the meaning. (Relative clauses beginning with who, whose, and which can be plucked from a sentence without changing the meaning, but can’t always be easily moved around.) The girl — who is carrying a bag — is three years old. Being “sick and contagious” is essential to the reason John stayed home, as opposed to any other possible reason for John staying home. In one of the first sentences above, “When is a comma necessary and when can it be dropped?”, why is there no comma before “and” (aren’t they two independent clauses?). The information about the woman would not likely be true of any other woman in view, so it’s essential. Yes, we typically put a comma between independent clauses joined by a conjunction. Fairly frequently I’ll get questions about comma use. And that’s what you’ll want to go with here. Essential clauses usually begin with a subordinating conjunction (see below). Mike, Dave, et al., will be at the meeting. (Cause and effect—with effect coming first), The wording in the second part of your original sentence may be throwing you off. However, you cannot simply pair a comma with which and claim the sentence is written correctly. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). Tags: commas, rules     Posted in: Grammar & Punctuation, Writing Tips. Can you explain the rules of commas between two or more similar subordinate clauses, i.e. Clauses beginning with who, which, that. Let’s change some of the words and see how this plays out—, She had thrown the last of the breadcrumbs to the ducks, when a man on a bike suddenly rode too close. I hope that helps. Essentials blend in; nonessentials (which can be taken out), stand out. Nonessentials can be plucked right out from between the commas. I’d guess that more readers would notice the missing comma (or wonder about multiple wives) than be confused about who Heidi was. As the kidnapper had intended for him to do, Timmy followed the puppy. She needed to return her books to the library, which was just down the street. I hope you don’t mind. When is a comma necessary and when can it be dropped? In the second sentence, Corwin’s name is essential because presumably the narrator has several friends. It’s not simply a choice between using that without a comma and which with a comma. No comma necessary between hi or hello and there. In the sentences below, are the commas placed correctly? For the first, you need a comma after the dependent clause before the independent one. Marina, I’m so glad you found articles and info you can use. If we are intended about the grammar of the sentence,which one of this choices that correct? It has something to do with commas too, right? Participial phrases are often nonessential and thus often require commas. It may be interesting information, but the writer could have stopped the sentence at the comma and still have conveyed exactly what he needed to convey—I was ecstatic over the late snow. I was ecstatic over the late snow, which piled up in the street and soon reached the tops of the cars. I hoped, because I was a dead man otherwise, I was on the right road. 2. . I’m left side-eyeing this sentence. Punctuation and word choice do matter. Yes, include the comma after write in this example. Nonessentials can be plucked right out from between the commas. I’m not going to the meeting either. The boys showed off the awards that they’d won. So are the commas wrong? We don’t use a comma to separate two items in a list. Are there other phrases, phrases that don’t begin with that, which, or who, that can be essential or nonessential, depending on the meaning? Until you know differently for a specific publisher or publication, include the commas. That depends. An essential clause is not set off by commas or other internal punctuation marks, such as dashes or parentheses, with the understanding that it is a necessary part of the sentence. Lamia, your urge for a comma there is a good one. That was a great question to help highlight essential and non-essential phrases. 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