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Commascommascommas Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
Complicated Comma Usage
Are the commas in the right places in the following three sentences?
I felt proud, and in a way, vindicated, that the teacher had selected me.
All the stories come from television, glimpses into an unfamiliar, yet pervasive western tradition.
At a place of comfort, not complacency, I accept the unavoidability of uncertainty, understanding, and indeed excited, that things will never be the same.
I felt proud, and in a way, vindicated, that the teacher had selected me.
All the stories come from television, glimpses into an unfamiliar, yet pervasive western tradition.
At a place of comfort, not complacency, I accept the unavoidability of uncertainty, understanding, and indeed excited, that things will never be the same.
Top answer
Commas can be overused, and your sentences are cases in point. This is better: I felt proud and , in a way , vindicated that the teacher had selected me. All the stories, glimpses into an unfamiliar yet pervasive western tradition, come from television.
- Commas can be overused, and your sentences are cases in point.
- This is better: I felt proud and , in a way , vindicated that the teacher had selected me.
- All the stories, glimpses into an unfamiliar yet pervasive western tradition, come from television.
- At a place of comfort not complacency, I accept the unavoidability of uncertainty, understanding and indeed excited that things will never be the same.
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5 Answers
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Commas can be overused, and your sentences are cases in point. This is better:
I felt proud and, in a way, vindicated that the teacher had selected me.
All the stories, glimpses into an unfamiliar yet pervasive western tradition, come from television.
At a place of comfort not complacency, I accept the unavoidability of uncertainty, understanding
I felt proud and, in a way, vindicated that the teacher had selected me.
All the stories, glimpses into an unfamiliar yet pervasive western tradition, come from television.
At a place of comfort not complacency, I accept the unavoidability of uncertainty, understanding
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Thank you! That makes a lot of sense.
However, I think of the whole phrase "and in a way vindicated" as non-essential, as an aside. In this case, would it be alright to do something like this:
I felt proud, and in a way vindicated, that the teacher had selected me.
However, I think of the whole phrase "and in a way vindicated" as non-essential, as an aside. In this case, would it be alright to do something like this:
I felt proud, and in a way vindicated, that the teacher had selected me.
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And, as for the second sentence, I'd like to keep the sentence structure as it was. Can I really get rid of the comma before the 'yet'?
All the stories come from television, glimpses into an unfamiliar yet pervasive western tradition.
All the stories come from television, glimpses into an unfamiliar yet pervasive western tradition.
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Yes, you can lose the comma, but no, the original word order is poor, as it places glimpses nearer television than stories, thus confusing the referent.
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