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Snarf Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Mid-Sentence Commas in Questions
Please have a look at these two examples:
1. "So every time somebody jaywalks, they are to be ticketed?" he asked.
2. "So every time a person says the wrong thing, they are to then be condemned and downcast for it?" he asked.
Do those two commas look okay, or are they superfluous?
Thanks.
1. "So every time somebody jaywalks, they are to be ticketed?" he asked.
2. "So every time a person says the wrong thing, they are to then be condemned and downcast for it?" he asked.
Do those two commas look okay, or are they superfluous?
Thanks.
Top answer
My gut tells me that the comma is wrong in both sentences, though I can’t satisfactorily explain why. However, I would use a comma in this sentence: Every time somebody jaywalks, they are to be ticketed.
- My gut tells me that the comma is wrong in both sentences, though I can’t satisfactorily explain why.
- However, I would use a comma in this sentence: Every time somebody jaywalks, they are to be ticketed.
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2 Answers
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My gut tells me that the comma is wrong in both sentences, though I can’t satisfactorily explain why. However, I would use a comma in this sentence: Every time somebody jaywalks, they are to be ticketed.
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So why in that one, but not the second one? Is it just the feeling that you get that gives you a sense of a pause there, but, for some reason, not in the second example, which is even longer, and would, therefore, ask for a breath even more so than the first would?
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