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Wholegrain Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
Is this a comma splice?
Herman Melville - The Confidence Man
http://www.online-literature.com/melville/confidence-man/7/
"Lucre those bills might be, but as yet having been kept unspotted from the world, not of the filthy sort."
Shouldn't there be a comma between "but" and "as"?
And why?
http://www.online-literature.com/melville/confidence-man/7/
"Lucre those bills might be, but as yet having been kept unspotted from the world, not of the filthy sort."
Shouldn't there be a comma between "but" and "as"?
And why?
Top answer
No comma. A typically Melville reversed sentence. Since the bills so far have not been used, they are lucre, but not filthy lucre.
- No comma.
- A typically Melville reversed sentence.
- Since the bills so far have not been used, they are lucre, but not filthy lucre.
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5 Answers
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No comma. A typically Melville reversed sentence.
Since the bills so far have not been used, they are lucre, but not filthy lucre.
Since the bills so far have not been used, they are lucre, but not filthy lucre.
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But cannot you say: "...but not of the filthy sort as yet having been kept unspotted from the world."?
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wholegrainShouldn't there be a comma between "but" and "as"?I think you have a point. If I was writing this sentence (unlikely!) then I think I would use one.
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wholegrainBut cannot you say: "...but not of the filthy sort as yet having been kept unspotted from the world."?Putting round it this way, I would say: "...but not of the filthy sort, having as yet been kept unspotted from the world."
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