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Meraki Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Is this comma correct?

Thank you for taking the time to look at my question. Emotion: smile

I'll admit when he first told me that he was from another realm far off in the stars, I did not believe him.

I was not sure if a comma should follow stars. I feel that maybe it shouldn't because there seems to be a silent that before when (if that means anything).
  

Top answer

It’s optional, I’d say. I would prefer this: I'll admit I did not believe him when he first told me he was from another realm far off in the stars.

— RandomGuy

  • It’s optional, I’d say.
  • I would prefer this: I'll admit I did not believe him when he first told me he was from another realm far off in the stars.
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12 Answers
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It’s optional, I’d say.

I would prefer this:

I'll admit I did not believe him when he first told me he was from another realm far off in the stars.
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I'll think about rewording it. Emotion: smile In case I run into the issue again - why was the comma optionalt? Just out of curiosity and a desire
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merakiwhy was the comma optional
That’s a good question. I don’t know. It just feels very optional, you know?
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It does. Thank you for your help. Emotion: smile
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I see 2 approaches.

1.. Make the when clause parenthetical by pausing before and after saying it. Or by writing it with 2 commas. This has the effect of making it less important to the main idea, which I have shown in bold.

I'll admit (that)
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I see the version with one comma as comparable to:

When he first told me that he was from another realm far off in the stars, I did not believe him.
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Yes, one pause or comma is fine there, but that's a different overall sentence structure,.

Clive
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In the original sentence, I can easily imagine a pause after the when phrase and not before.

I'll admit that when he first told me he was from another realm far off in the stars, I did not believe him.
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Really?
For what reason would you pause there?
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For the same reason I would in its stand-alone counterpart: a pause is natural after a fronted adjunct, especially one as long as this.
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