Please explain conjunction and comma

Question

Even though political editorializing was not forbidden under the new regime, journalists still experienced discreet, though perceptible, government pressure to limit dissent.

I think "though" in bold is a conjunction. Can I omit the two commoas? So that "journalists still experienced discreet though perceptible government pressure to limit dissent."

"And" can be a conjunction as well. Is "journalists still experienced discreet, and perceptible, government pressure to limit dissent." grammatically correct?

Please explain the behind grammar. Thanks.
By the way, I have Practical English Usage 3ed by Michael Swan. If you can answer my question with reference to the book, it will be appreaciated.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Yes, you can omit the commas. The commas emphasize the information between them, however.

'And' is not a good choice, but this is also acceptable: "..journalists still experienced discreet, but perceptible, government pressure to limit dissent."— again, the commas may be omitted, with the same comment.

Enoon · Answer

The commas make what is between them parenthetical. The commas act like parentheses, without the interruption parentheses make. A parenthetical in commas stands outside the sentence semantically to some extent. I would say that your example is better with the commas, because, as the insightful and erudite Micawber says, they emphasize what is between them, and you want to point up the intrusiveness of the censorship.

Anonymous · Answer

gqqnbigPlease explain the behind grammar. Thanks.By the way, I have Practical English Usage 3ed by Michael Swan. If you can answer my question with reference to the book, it will be appreaciated.

Hello, gqqnbig:

1. I could not find anything in my 1995 edition of Mr. Swan's splendid book, but I did find something in Mr. L.G. Alexander's

1988 Longman English Grammar (page 30). The scholar writes that sometimes the subject and verb may be omitted

after a conjunction. Here is his example:

Though (he was) exhausted, he went to bed very late. It is a clause of concession.

2. IMHO, you might analyze your sentence as:

"Journalists still experienced discreet, though [it was] perceptible, government pressure."

As you can see, the basic sentence is "Journalists still experienced discreet government pressure."

The writer of that sentence, however, decided to "throw in" an extra "parenthetical" remark to add some

unnecessary information, though [it was] helpful information.

HAVE A NICE DAY!

Gqqnbig · Answer

Hello, M:
I used to have the same understanding with you but when you explain the "and" case, or as Micawber suggests "but", you also understand it as an omission form of ..journalists still experienced discreet, but [it was] perceptible, government pressure to limit dissent ?
Again, how about This is an expensive, ill-prepared, wasteful project. (Practical English Usage 3ed, article 476.5 punctuation. adjective)?

Anonymous · Answer

gqqnbig how about This is an expensive, ill-prepared, wasteful project.

Hello, Gqqnbig:

Thank you for your note.

To the best of my knowledge, that sentence is different from your first sentence, which was a clause introduced by

the conjunction "though."

I believe that the commas are used in this sentence just to substitute for the conjunction "and." In fact, some

writers do -- for emphasis -- write:

This is an expensive and ill-prepared and wasteful project.

This is an expensive, ill-prepared, and wasteful project (with or without the comma in front of "and").

HAVE A NICE DAY!

Gqqnbig · Answer

Thank you all. I have got some idea.

Please explain conjunction and comma

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