0
Goronsky Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Comma placement – 1, 2 or 3?

Which is correctly punctuated with the commas – and why? I think #2 but don't know why. Oxford uses #1, but I thought the comma preceded the conjunction 'but' because it is separating two independent clauses.

(1) Such misuse doesn’t really hinder understanding but, according to accepted usage, this is a case where a colon should be used.

(2) Such misuse doesn’t really hinder understanding, but according to accepted usage this is a case where a colon should be used.

(3) Such misuse doesn’t really hinder understanding, but according to accepted usage, this is a case where a colon should be used.
  

Top answer

They are all possible. You could have a comma before the coordinator in (1), though some people consider it overkill.

— RandomGuy

  • They are all possible.
  • You could have a comma before the coordinator in (1), though some people consider it overkill.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
They are all possible.

You could have a comma before the coordinator in (1), though some people consider it overkill.
0
0
How could they all be possible? And how could #1 be correct?
0
0
1. There is no rule that says a PP adjunct must be set off by commas in cases like this. That’s left to the writer’s judgment.

2. A comma is optional after a fronted PP adjunct.

3. Consider examples like (1) an exception to the rule you mentioned before about using a comma before the coordinator in a compound sentence.
0

Related Questions