Is the comma neccessary "it's a pretty empty theater, with only a few people watching"?

Question

In the sentence "it's a pretty empty theater, with only a few people watching", there's a comma between 'theater' and 'with. Is the comma used correctly?

Doctor D · Accepted Answer

Yes. The comma shows the pause that a speaker would make in saying the sentence. If there were no comma, you might at first think "with only a few" was modifying "theater" instead of expanding on the "empty" quality.

Perhaps it would be clearer if you turn the sentence around:
With only a few people watching, it's a pretty empty theater.

If you want to see a situation where no comma is called for:
The Broadway is an empty theater with ragged curtains and a poor reputation.
(Here the "with" phrase directly modifies "theater.")

I hope this helps.

GPY · Answer

nerdikarp In the sentence "it's a pretty empty theater, with only a few people watching", there's a comma between 'theater' and 'with. Is the comma used correctly?

The comma can be included or omitted, but the meaning can be slightly different.

"it's a pretty empty theater, with only a few people watching" means "it's a pretty empty theater, and there are only a few people watching", more or less.

"it's a pretty empty theater with only a few people watching" can mean that the fact that there are only a few people watching makes the theater empty.

Is the comma neccessary "it's a pretty empty theater, with only a few people watching"?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions