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Liveinjapan Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
A, B, and C
I know there is no need to put 'and' before 'B', but does this rule work when A, B and C are sentences of similar structure?
e.g.
Your father is smart, your mother is smart, and therefore you are smart.
(no need to put 'and' before 'your mother'?)
It is no longer a comma splice, is it?
Thanks.
e.g.
Your father is smart, your mother is smart, and therefore you are smart.
(no need to put 'and' before 'your mother'?)
It is no longer a comma splice, is it?
Thanks.
Top answer
It's a good question. Initially, I thought it was still a comma splice, but now I'll have to consult my reference books or wait for a good reply.
- It's a good question.
- Initially, I thought it was still a comma splice, but now I'll have to consult my reference books or wait for a good reply.
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8 Answers
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It's a good question. Initially, I thought it was still a comma splice, but now I'll have to consult my reference books or wait for a good reply.
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When you construct a list, such as A, B, and C, you choose the elements for your list from those in the same category, so that you can exchange their positions in the list, such as B, C, and A, without hurting the meaning.
In your case, the first two clauses, your father is smart and your mother is smart, are in the same category because they are both the parents and you c
In your case, the first two clauses, your father is smart and your mother is smart, are in the same category because they are both the parents and you c
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Thanks, Gordon and Abc4efg.
I agree with both of you. I actually thought it was a comma splice initially, and perhaps I would avoid leaving out the first 'and'.
I agree with both of you. I actually thought it was a comma splice initially, and perhaps I would avoid leaving out the first 'and'.
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The original is fine.
abc4efgyour father is smart and your mother is smart, therefore you are smart.This is a comma splice.
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Grammar GeekThe original is fine.By 'the original' you mean 'Your father is smart, your mother is smart, and therefore you are smart.', right?
Thanks, Barb.
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Yes, exactly.
What's more important is parallelism.
X is X1, Y is Y1, and (therefore, by the way, if you care, it seems that -- all optional), Z is Z1.
What wouldn't work from a style standpoint (for me) is:
Mom is watching football, Dad is doing the dishes, and Peter is happy. In that case, the Peter part isn't parallel with the others.
What's more important is parallelism.
X is X1, Y is Y1, and (therefore, by the way, if you care, it seems that -- all optional), Z is Z1.
What wouldn't work from a style standpoint (for me) is:
Mom is watching football, Dad is doing the dishes, and Peter is happy. In that case, the Peter part isn't parallel with the others.
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Grammar GeekThe original is fine.abc4efgyour father is smart and your mother is smart, therefore you are smart.This is a comma splice.
To remove it, a semicolon or the coordinating conjuction so is needed.
Thank you, Greek!
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