Is a comma needed after "marriage"?

Question

"A Will may have been made by a parent while they were still in their first marriage and then remained unchanged when they entered their second."

I'm not sure if not using one makes the meaning ambiguous (if it suggests that the parent is the one who remains unchanged).

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

JJDouglasIs a comma needed after "marriage"?

No; you cannot have one there because the sentence is a compound predicate ('remained' has no separate subject).

JJDouglas (if it suggests that the parent is the one who remains unchanged).

You must leave some leeway for common sense.

JJDouglas · Answer

Thanks again, Micawber.

Is there a limit to how much the possibility of misreading is allowed before a comma becomes advisable?

I promise I won't bother you with every example I come across, but I saw this in a piece I was proofing and was debating the addition of a comma after "child" (the length of the first part of the predicate may also be a factor). As I was reading it for the first time I thought, albeit only momentarily, that it was the "current difficulties" that should "strive to continue", not "You".

"You should try to not let the current difficulties negatively affect your relationship with your child(,) and strive to continue fulfilling your parental responsibilities."

Mister Micawber · Answer

JJDouglasIs there a limit to how much the possibility of misreading is allowed before a comma becomes advisable?

No. How would you measure that?

JJDouglas"You should try to not let the current difficulties negatively affect your relationship with your child(,) and strive to continue fulfilling your parental responsibilities."

The lack of a comma (again the comma is wrong, since this is again a compound predicate) does not confuse me, so it is an individual perception for each reader. Difficulties do not strive, of course.

I cannot see a comma in this kind of situation unless it is a list of 3 or more compounds.

JJDouglas · Answer

Ok. Thank you for your reply.

Would you agree, though, that the rule of not having a comma between parts of a compound predicate is often ignored, ever by respected and well-known writers? It never takes me long to find examples in many famous books. Is it maybe a rule that has been made and encouraged only recently?

Mister Micawber · Answer

JJDouglasWould you agree, though, that the rule of not having a comma between parts of a compound predicate is often ignored, ever by respected and well-known writers?

I would agree that virtually all rules are sometimes ignored by respected and well-known writers, but that is their privilege, not ours. But it may also be a recent rule; period works are often oddly (usually overly) punctuated from a modern viewpoint.

Is a comma needed after "marriage"?

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