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Snarf Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
"And" comma
The alarm clock went off and John, a man in his mid-twenties, jumped out of bed while holding his right shoulder.
Sometimes I get confused as to whether or not to put a comma before "and." Should it be in that sentence, for example? I'm assuming that no comma is needed before "while."
Thanks.
Sometimes I get confused as to whether or not to put a comma before "and." Should it be in that sentence, for example? I'm assuming that no comma is needed before "while."
Thanks.
Top answer
Use it. It's always wise to use a comma before and when it joins two complete thoughts, especially when the second one is as long as yours. No, I would skip the while comma.
- Use it.
- It's always wise to use a comma before and when it joins two complete thoughts, especially when the second one is as long as yours.
- No, I would skip the while comma.
- The alarm clock went off, and John, a man in his mid-twenties, jumped out of bed while holding his right shoulder.
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5 Answers
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Use it. It's always wise to use a comma before and when it joins two complete thoughts, especially when the second one is as long as yours. No, I would skip the while comma.
The alarm clock went off, and John, a man in his mid-twenties, jumped out of bed while holding his right shoulder.
The alarm clock went off, and John, a man in his mid-twenties, jumped out of bed while holding his right shoulder.
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Do you normally skip the commas before "while," even if the sentence is long and more complex? For example:
John takes a deep breath, while looking Peter straight in the eye, still holding the handkerchief to his nose, and then sits back down.
In that sentence I'm worried that if I take the while comma out, it won't be as clear that it is John who is holding the handkerchief to
John takes a deep breath, while looking Peter straight in the eye, still holding the handkerchief to his nose, and then sits back down.
In that sentence I'm worried that if I take the while comma out, it won't be as clear that it is John who is holding the handkerchief to
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I don't usually use a comma before while when it doesn't introduce the sentence, but I'm not sure what to do in your case. I would still probably do without it.
Your handkerchief problem can be fixed by moving the adverbial clause to the beginning of the sentence.
While looking Peter straight in the eye, John takes a deep breath, still holding the handkerchief to his no
Your handkerchief problem can be fixed by moving the adverbial clause to the beginning of the sentence.
While looking Peter straight in the eye, John takes a deep breath, still holding the handkerchief to his no
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What about in a sentence like this? Does there also have to be a comma before "and?"
She rushes to the washroom and starts splashing water into her eye with her head bent down in the sink.
She rushes to the washroom and starts splashing water into her eye with her head bent down in the sink.
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