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Victo Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Commas

Are these punctuated with the commas? I believe that the first example is heavily punctuated with the commas, but that's how it was done in the old days.

1. The umpire misjudged the call, and, in the interest of fairness, he did not allow the extra run.


2. The umpire misjudged the call and, in the interest of fairness, did not allow the extra run.


If I had my druthers, I'd do this with sentence number one:


The umpire misjudged the call, and in the interest of fairness he did not allow the extra run.


I've eliminated two commas in sentence one, and the sentence flows nicely. Do you concur?


And could we eliminate both commas in sentence two and do this?


The umpire misjudged the call and in the interest of fairness did not allow the extra run.
  

Top answer

All of those sentences are OK. "Fewer commas' is the modern trend, as you seem to realize.

— Clive

  • All of those sentences are OK.
  • "Fewer commas' is the modern trend, as you seem to realize.
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21 Answers
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All of those sentences are OK.

"Fewer commas' is the modern trend, as you seem to realize.
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victo1. The umpire misjudged the call, and, in the interest of fairness, he did not allow the extra run.
The comma directly after and should be omitted.
victoIf I had my druthers, I'd do this with sentence number one:
The umpire misjudged the call, and in the
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Don't overlook the fact that pauses in speech, and thus commas in writing, give different shades of meaning to what is being said.
eg They give the listener extra time to reflect on what has just been said.
eg They make certain things more parenthetical.

A good example of this is the use of a pause (ie a comma) to indicate that a subordinate clause is non-restrictive.

Her
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MeathawkThe comma directly after and should be omitted.
It’s optional.
Meathawkthe parenthetical element in the interest of fairness
The phrase isn’t parenthetical without the comma after and.
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Aspara GusMeathawkThe comma directly after and should be omitted.It’s optional.Meathawkthe parenthetical element in the interest of fairnessThe phrase isn’t parenthetical without the comma after and.
This is what my book say:

"When a parenthetical element — an interjection, adverbial modifier, or even an adverbial clause — follows a coordinating conj
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Somehow this was cut off:
  • The Red Sox were leading the league at the end of May, but of course, they always do well in the spring. [no comma after "but"]
  • The Yankees didn't do so well in the early going, but frankly, everyone expects them to win the season. [no comma after "but"]
  • The Tigers spent much of the season at the bottom of the league, and even though they picke
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I think you need a new style manual.
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Aspara GusI think you need a new style manual.
It's not the only manual I have seen that recommendation.

Furthermore, please don't take this the wrong way because I do not want to sound rude. I was hoping to have a discussion if we disagreed on a grammar rule, but all I got from you so far is:

"You are ill-advise to believe a rule about
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Aspara GusMeathawkThe comma directly after and should be omitted.It’s optional.Meathawkthe parenthetical element in the interest of fairnessThe phrase isn’t parenthetical without the comma after and.
Through high school and college, I was told the comma after and was incorrect.
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MeathawkAll I got from that is that because it did not agree with you; it is wrong.
It’s not wrong because I disagree with it; it’s wrong because it’s not a real rule. If you check the COCA, you’ll find 118580 citations for a comma used after and to set off a parenthetical element.
Meatha
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