Coming out of the bank
1) They shot him coming out of the bank.
2) They shot him, coming out the bank.
Does the comma change anything?
Can we tell who was coming out of the bank?
3) You shouted at me waking the children up.
4) You shouted at me, waking the children up.
Does the comma change anything?
Can we tell who woke the children up?
Gratefully,
Navi
Top answer
Unless there is something in the context to contradict it, the subject of a participle clause is always the same as the subject of the sentence. The use of a comma emphasizes that general principle in cases where there might be confusion. In your first sentence I would suggest putting the participle clause first to stress its connection with "they".
- Unless there is something in the context to contradict it, the subject of a participle clause is always the same as the subject of the sentence.
- The use of a comma emphasizes that general principle in cases where there might be confusion.
- In your first sentence I would suggest putting the participle clause first to stress its connection with "they".
- 1a) Coming out of the bank, they shot him.
- For the reverse case, 1b) They shot him as he was coming out of the bank.
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Unless there is something in the context to contradict it, the subject of a participle clause is always the same as the subject of the sentence. The use of a comma emphasizes that general principle in cases where there might be confusion.
In your first sentence I would suggest putting the participle clause first to stress its connection with "they".
1a) Coming out of the b
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