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Blue-eyed Smiler Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
Comma before but
What commas do I need to put here?
I always get messed up with putting them before but's.
"It is a treatment (?) that slows cell destruction," he explained, "but as Jenny knows (?) there can be unpleasant side effects."
I always get messed up with putting them before but's.
"It is a treatment (?) that slows cell destruction," he explained, "but as Jenny knows (?) there can be unpleasant side effects."
Top answer
" There's no reason to put one after "treatment" because what follows is essential. When you set things off with a comma before and after, you are saying that it's non-essential information that simply provides more information.
- " There's no reason to put one after "treatment" because what follows is essential.
- When you set things off with a comma before and after, you are saying that it's non-essential information that simply provides more information.
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5 Answers
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Hi Blue-eyed Smiler,
There's no reason to put one after "treatment" because what follows is essential. When you set things off with a comm
Blue-eyed SmilerIt is a treatment that slows cell destruction," he explained, "but as Jenny knows, there can be unpleasant side effects."Your comma after "explained" is right, and one belongs after "knows."
There's no reason to put one after "treatment" because what follows is essential. When you set things off with a comm
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Blue-eyed SmilerI always get messed up with putting them before but's.
You can't put an apostrophe + s with "but".Blue-eyed Smiler"It is a treatment (?) that slows cell destruction," he explained, "but as Jenny knows (?) there can be unpleasant side effects."
"It is a treatment that slows cell destruction" he explained "but
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Actually, I don't like the look of that. I prefer:
"It is a treatment that slows cell destruction", he explained, "but, as Jenny knows, there can be unpleasant side effects."
"It is a treatment that slows cell destruction", he explained, "but, as Jenny knows, there can be unpleasant side effects."
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In the US, the comma always always always goes inside the quotation mark.
In this case, I believe even in the UK it would go inside the quoatation mark because if it were written out without the intervening "he explained" it would have a comma there anyway.
In this case, I believe even in the UK it would go inside the quoatation mark because if it were written out without the intervening "he explained" it would have a comma there anyway.
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