Grammar Study: Commas 32-2

Question

This grammar study is from 'The Bedford Handbook'

, fifth edition, by Diana Hacker, cr 1998. Exercises and notes are posted to stimulate English usage discussion.
Exercise 32-2
Add or delete commas where necessary in the following sentences. If a sentence is correct, write "correct" after it. Go ahead and cut and paste. Edit a copy and leave the original above.
We gathered our essentials, took off for the great outdoors and ignored the fact that it was Friday the 13th.
We gathered our essentials, took off for the great outdoors, and ignored the fact that it was Friday the 13th.
a. She wore a black silk cape, a rhinestone collar, satin gloves and high-tops.
b. A bus driver threaded his way though police cars, fire trucks and irate citizens.
c. John, Cathy noted, makes spicy textured-soy-protein overload vegetarian soups and is always too willing to share.

d. When air-conditioning arrived in the workplace, it had a large measurable impact on productivity.
e. My wife's pupils had contracted to small black shining dots.
Topic 32c Use a comma between all items in a series. "When three or more items are presented in a series, those items should be separated from one another with commas. Items in a series may be single words, phrases, or clauses.
During the 1930s, the Yeewah Junction Cafe served alligator tails, rattlesnake fillets, turtle soup, wild venison and duck.
A writer should always check to see if commas are in fact helping the reader to understand.
Aunt May willed him all of her property, houses and warehouses. Aunt May willed him all of her property, houses, and warehouses.
The activities of the college's field trip to Greece included a search for lost ships, too expensive shopping, much discussion of ancient religions, and midnight orgies.
The activities of the college's field trip to Greece included a search for lost ships, too expensive shopping, much discussion of ancient religions and midnight orgies.
Topic 32d Use a comma between coordinate adjectives not joined with ?and'. Do not use a comma between cumulative adjectives.

When two or more adjectives each modify a noun separately, they are coordinate.
With help of a therapist, Mother has become a strong, confident, independent woman.
Cumulative Adjectives: Ira ordered a rich chocolate layer cake.
John Freck

Usenet · Accepted Answer

(What the heck...)
[nq:1]This grammar study is from 'The Bedford Handbook'

, fifth edition, by Diana Hacker, cr 1998. Exercises and notes are ... We gathered our essentials, took off for the great outdoors, and ignored the fact that it was Friday the 13th.[/nq]
The latter is correct; the former looks incorrect to me.
[nq:1]a. She wore a black silk cape, a rhinestone collar, satin gloves and high-tops.[/nq]
...although the "serial comma" in general is a stylistic issue as far as I know. I would add the final comma in the above sentence and the next one, following the guidance of the student newspaper's Style Guide.

[nq:1]b. A bus driver threaded his way though police cars, fire trucks and irate citizens. c. John, Cathy noted, makes spicy textured-soy-protein overload vegetarian soups and is always too willing to share.[/nq]
What is an "overload vegetarian soup"?
[nq:1]d. When air-conditioning arrived in the workplace, it had a large measurable impact on productivity.[/nq]
Remove the redundant word "large." Alternatively, replace the whole phrase after the comma with the three words "productivity improved measurably," which avoids the ridiculous connotations of the buzzword "impact."
[nq:1]e. My wife's pupils had contracted to small black shining dots.[/nq]
Looks good to me. The lack of punctuation indicates a single concept her eyes weren't small, and black, and shining; they were small black shining dots! Forceful!

(The "Topic 32d" I snipped deals with this concept, too.)
[nq:1]Topic 32c Use a comma between all items in a series. "When three or more items are presented in a ... or clauses. During the 1930s, the Yeewah Junction Cafe served alligator tails, rattlesnake fillets, turtle soup, wild venison and duck.[/nq]
According to "Topic 32c," this sentence is missing a comma after the word "venison." (I tend to agree with this diagnosis.)
[nq:1]A writer should always check to see if commas are in fact helping the reader to understand. Aunt May willed him all of her property, houses and warehouses. Aunt May willed him all of her property, houses, and warehouses.[/nq]
A good argument for the serial comma indeed.
-Arthur

Usenet · Answer

This grammar study is from ?The Bedford Handbook'

, fifth edition, by Diana Hacker, cr 1998. Exercises and notes are posted to stimulate English usage discussion.
Exercise 32-2
Add or delete commas where necessary in the following sentences. If a sentence is correct, write "correct" after it. Go ahead and cut and paste. Edit a copy and leave the original above.
We gathered our essentials, took off for the great outdoors and ignored the fact that it was Friday the 13th.
We gathered our essentials, took off for the great outdoors, and ignored the fact that it was Friday the 13th.
a. She wore a black silk cape, a rhinestone collar, satin gloves and high-tops.
She wore a black silk cape, a rhinestone collar, satin gloves, and high-tops.
b. A bus driver threaded his way though police cars, fire trucks and irate citizens.
A bus driver threaded his way though police cars, fire trucks, and irate citizens.
c. John, Cathy noted, makes spicy textured-soy-protein overload vegetarian soups and is always too willing to share.

John, Cathy noted, makes spicy, textured-soy-protein-overload vegetarian soups, and is always too willing to share.
d. When air-conditioning arrived in the workplace, it had a large measurable impact on productivity.
When air-conditioning arrived in the workplace, it had a large measurable impact on productivity. Correct.
e. My wife's pupils had contracted to small black shining dots. Correct.
Topic 32c Use a comma between all items in a series. "When three or more items are presented in a series, those items should be separated from one another with commas. Items in a series may be single words, phrases, or clauses.
During the 1930s, the Yeewah Junction Cafe served alligator tails, rattlesnake fillets, turtle soup, wild venison and duck.
A writer should always check to see if commas are in fact helping the reader to understand.
Aunt May willed him all of her property, houses and warehouses. Aunt May willed him all of her property, houses, and warehouses.
The activities of the college's field trip to Greece included a search for lost ships, too expensive shopping, much discussion of ancient religions, and midnight orgies.
The activities of the college's field trip to Greece included a search for lost ships, too expensive shopping, much discussion of ancient religions and midnight orgies.
John Freck

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]d. When air-conditioning arrived in the workplace, it had a large measurable impact on productivity.[/nq]
[nq:1]Remove the redundant word "large."[/nq]
I'd say it's the word "measurable" that's redundant, not the word "large".
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom

Grammar Study: Commas 32-2

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