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Snarf Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Comma or something else?

"I had become like Sally, her filled with delusions of grandeur and me filled with delusions of my own."

Is that comma between "Sally" and "her" right there?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

Hi, Yes. If you didn't pause there when saying that, your listener would have a lot of trouble grasping the structure of what you were saying. It would be hard to understand you.

— Clive

  • Hi, Yes.
  • If you didn't pause there when saying that, your listener would have a lot of trouble grasping the structure of what you were saying.
  • It would be hard to understand you.
  • Clive
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9 Answers
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Hi,

Yes.
If you didn't pause there when saying that, your listener would have a lot of trouble grasping the structure of what you were saying. It would be hard to understand you.

Clive
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Thanks. Well, what about this?

The two freaks in black fly off the car one after the other.

I originally thought that there should be a comma before "one," but I don't know anymore. It feels awkward and superfluous to put one. What do you think?
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Hi,

I'd always put a comma there.
But the structure is obviously simpler than that of your original sentence, so the listener will certainly be able to grasp the meaning without a pause.

Clive
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CliveHi,I'd always put a comma there.But the structure is obviously simpler than that of your original sentence, so the listener will certainly be able to grasp the meaning without a pause.Clive
Oh, yes, I agree, it's a completely different type of sentence, but why do you say you'd always put a comma there, if, in this case, unlike the first one, it's not nec
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Hi,

The 'one after the other' seems parenthetical to me, less important..

Clive
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Yes, I thought the same thing in the beginning. It's just that it's happening at a fast pace, that's why I stopped feeling that comma there. Another thing: recently, I've stopped putting commas before "without" when I found out here that it's optional, and merely a matter of the speed the writer wants the sentence read at. Please have a look at this one:

"For some, no, it would be bette
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Hi,

I don't think I would, mainly because it is not good to have too many parenthetical phrases tacked on with commas.

All the sentences you are quoting have slightly different structures. And even if they didn't, the meaning and feeling of every sentence needs to b judged on its
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CliveHi,I don't think I would, mainly because it is not good to have too many parenthetical phrases tacked on with commas.All the sentences you are quoting have slightly different structures. And even if they didn't, the meaning and feeling of every sentence needs to b judged on its own merits. In my opinion.Clive.
Oh, I agree completely! So with that in mind
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Hi,

The two freaks in black fly off the car one after the other, first Damineh towards the men, and then Paul, giving them a knowing look, flies up and backwards in the air, turning around to swoop down on the girl, who, it now seems, has lost her sense of humor.

It's not correct grammar. The part after 'first' see
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