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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

punctuation

How are the serial commas in the following sentence are working?

: Previously, extended absences of the object (the good breast, the mother) was experienced as persecutory, and, according to the theory of unconscious phantasy, the persecuted infant phantisizes destruction of the bad object.
---------------------------From Wikipedia, Object relations theory

I'm confused with 'persecutory, and, according to ~' phrase. Why was there used like '~, and, ~'? I can't understand why did there needed to use commas like that.
  

Top answer

There are no serial commas in the sentence. The comma before and is used because it is connecting another independent clause. The phrase according to the theory of unconscious phantasy is set off with commas because the writer intended it to be parenthetical.

— RandomGuy

  • There are no serial commas in the sentence.
  • The comma before and is used because it is connecting another independent clause.
  • The phrase according to the theory of unconscious phantasy is set off with commas because the writer intended it to be parenthetical.
  • The punctuation would still be correct without the comma after and .
  • Incidentally, was should be were to agree with absences , and phantisizes is not a word.
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1 Answers
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There are no serial commas in the sentence. The comma before and is used because it is connecting another independent clause. The phrase according to the theory of unconscious phantasy is set off with commas because the writer intended it to be parenthetical. The punctuation would still be correct without the comma after
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