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GainRain Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Punctuate

"He came here not to contribute to, but to sabotage the team."
"He came here not to contribute to, but to sabotage, the team."
"He came here not to contribute to but to sabotage the team."

Could it be that all three are correct standard English and the commas don't make a difference?
  

Top answer

" Could it be that all three are correct standard English and the commas don't make a difference? Broadly speaking, commas always make a difference. Only #2 and #3 seem to me to be appropriate ways to say the sentence.

— Clive

  • " Could it be that all three are correct standard English and the commas don't make a difference?
  • Broadly speaking, commas always make a difference.
  • Only #2 and #3 seem to me to be appropriate ways to say the sentence.
  • #1 is not good.
  • If someone said this to me, I would wonder if the phrase 'the team' was only associated with 'sabotage'.
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5 Answers
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Hi,

"He came here not to contribute to, but to sabotage the team."
"He came here not to contribute to, but to sabotage, the team."
"He came her
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0
So,

"He came here not to contribute to, but to sabotage the team."
is not an acceptable elliptical version of these?


"He came here not to contribute to the team, but to sabotage
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0
-..-,,--..----------,.------,.,
So,

"He came here not to contribute to, but to sabotage the team."
is not an acceptable elliptical version of these?

"He came here not to contribute to the team,
0
0
Hi,

So,

"He came here not to contribute to, but to sabotage the team."
is not an acceptable elliptical version of these?

"He came here not to contribute to the team
0

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