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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary
But
Hi,
1) "This actress used to be very popular but she's had her day now."
2) "They had agreed to get married soon, but for some unknown reason she refused to name the day."
[Both the 1) and 2) are from Longman Dictionary of English Idioms.]
My question is: why is there a comma before the conjunction 'but' in the 2) and why is there no comma in the 1)? Is there any rule guiding when the comma should be placed before the conjunction 'but'?
Thank you.
1) "This actress used to be very popular but she's had her day now."
2) "They had agreed to get married soon, but for some unknown reason she refused to name the day."
[Both the 1) and 2) are from Longman Dictionary of English Idioms.]
My question is: why is there a comma before the conjunction 'but' in the 2) and why is there no comma in the 1)? Is there any rule guiding when the comma should be placed before the conjunction 'but'?
Thank you.
Top answer
I could accept both of those examples with or without the comma. A comma is often used to break up a longer sentence. If you read #2 aloud the comma indicates the best place to take a breath.
- I could accept both of those examples with or without the comma.
- A comma is often used to break up a longer sentence.
- If you read #2 aloud the comma indicates the best place to take a breath.
- Rover
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3 Answers
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I could accept both of those examples with or without the comma.
A comma is often used to break up a longer sentence. If you read #2 aloud the comma indicates the best place to take a breath.
Rover
A comma is often used to break up a longer sentence. If you read #2 aloud the comma indicates the best place to take a breath.
Rover
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Hi,
A broad guideline if that commas are not necessary if the sentence is short.
eg I called him but he didn't answer the phone.
The reader can easily absorb this information quickly.
However, n
A broad guideline if that commas are not necessary if the sentence is short.
eg I called him but he didn't answer the phone.
The reader can easily absorb this information quickly.
However, n
00
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