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Ac2000 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Comma with introductory clauses
Hello,
I've read somewhere on the net, that with an introductory clause, you have to put a comma.
E.g.:
"When it stops raining, we'll go for a walk." (I hope this example is OK, it's written by me
.
But I'm not sure about an introductory clause, which is followed by an imperative clause, such as:
"When you have finished your homework, go out and wash the car."
Is the comma mandatory or optional in this latter sentence? Or is the comma wrong here? I'm not sure, because there's no subject in the second half of the sentence (like the "we" in the first sentence) but only a verb and an object.
Thanks,
Anna
I've read somewhere on the net, that with an introductory clause, you have to put a comma.
E.g.:
"When it stops raining, we'll go for a walk." (I hope this example is OK, it's written by me
.But I'm not sure about an introductory clause, which is followed by an imperative clause, such as:
"When you have finished your homework, go out and wash the car."
Is the comma mandatory or optional in this latter sentence? Or is the comma wrong here? I'm not sure, because there's no subject in the second half of the sentence (like the "we" in the first sentence) but only a verb and an object.
Thanks,
Anna
Top answer
I have never heard the term "introductory clause" but the punctuation is correct in your sentences. If what I and quite a few others call a subordinate clause precedes the main clause , it's customary to put a comma after the subordinate clause. Examples: When I see him , I'll talk to him .
- I have never heard the term "introductory clause" but the punctuation is correct in your sentences.
- If what I and quite a few others call a subordinate clause precedes the main clause , it's customary to put a comma after the subordinate clause.
- Examples: When I see him , I'll talk to him .
- I'll talk to him when I see him.
- If you see him , ask him to do it.
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4 Answers
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I have never heard the term "introductory clause" but the punctuation is correct in your sentences. If what I and quite a few others call a subordinate clause precedes the main clause, it's customary to put a comma after the subordinate clause. Examples:
When I see him,
When I see him,
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Thanks a lot for your help.
Ok, then it does not matter whether there is a subject in the main clause or not, it's still th
Ok, then it does not matter whether there is a subject in the main clause or not, it's still th
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Commas are important, but sometimes overused. In Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots and Leaves she goes into detail on commas and subordinate clauses. There is a superb section on the many squabbles between the humorist James Thurber who disliked commas, and his editor Harold Ross of the New Yorker, who loved them.Thurber would leave them out and Ross would put them in.
'Thurber was asked
'Thurber was asked
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Hi AC2000
Clauses constructed with conjunctions such as: Before, after, when, while and others like them are commonly called dependent or subordinate clauses becasue the meaning is incomplete without the main clause. In other words, it is meaningless byitself. I am not sure if "introductory" is another name for it but leanrers should know that this type of clauses can be placed after the
Clauses constructed with conjunctions such as: Before, after, when, while and others like them are commonly called dependent or subordinate clauses becasue the meaning is incomplete without the main clause. In other words, it is meaningless byitself. I am not sure if "introductory" is another name for it but leanrers should know that this type of clauses can be placed after the
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