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Taka Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

Punctuation doesn't punctuate it?

If you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour-or less-and don't fight it, the feelings of boredom will be replaced with feeling of peace. And after a little practice, you'll learn to relax.

Suppose you make the statement above an indirect speech, with, say, 'he says that'. I think it's going to be:

He says that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour-or less-and don't fight it, the feelings of boredom will be replaced with feeling of peace. And after a little practice, you'll learn to relax.

Now, as you see there, there is a period after 'peace'. And my question is, from a grammatical point of view, even if there is a period there, does it NOT put 'And after a little practice, you'll learn to relax' out of the scope of the that-clause?
  

Top answer

-- He says that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour- or less -and don't fight it, the feelings of boredom will be replaced with feeling of peace, and after a little practice, you'll learn to relax. -- He says that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour-- or less --and don't fight it, the feeling of boredom will be replaced with a feeling of peace, and that if you practice doing so, you'll learn to relax.

— Davkett

  • -- He says that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour- or less -and don't fight it, the feelings of boredom will be replaced with feeling of peace, and after a little practice, you'll learn to relax.
  • -- He says that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour-- or less --and don't fight it, the feeling of boredom will be replaced with a feeling of peace, and that if you practice doing so, you'll learn to relax.
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20 Answers
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(First of all, I don't see a comma after 'peace' in your indirect-speech version; I see a period.)

So, Taka, did you mean to show the revised sentence this way?--

He says that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour-or less-and don't fight it, the feelings of boredom will be replaced with feeling of peace, and
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I'm very sorry, davkett. I meant to say 'a period' (now I edited it).

Sorry for the confusion.
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Still, your question is 'even if there is a period there'.

Don't you, in fact, want to ask, "because there is a period after 'peace', does it not put 'And after a little practice, you'll learn to relax' out of the scope of the that-clause"?

If that is your question, I believe I would answer 'yes'.
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DavkettIf that is your question, I believe I would answer 'yes'.

For your information, here is the original:

I was first exposed to the idea that occasional boredom can actually be good for me while studying with a therapist in La Conner, Washington, a tiny little town with very little "to do." After finish
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Sorry, I seem to have twice misread your question. The context here clears up the matter.

(However, the opening clause is a bit off in word order, don't you think?-- 'I was first exposed to the idea that occasional boredom can actually be good for me while studying with a therapist in La Conner, Washington
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DavkettHowever, the opening clause is a bit off in word order, don't you think?

To me, not as confusing-and shocking- as the one that I'm asking a question about. I mean, a period is, you know a 'period', a full stop. I thought it should indicate the end of the sentence.

Clive, are you there? You are actually teaching Eng
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(Just so I can stay in the dialogue, though I understand why you would want an English teacher's expertise on this...so would I)--

I finally grasp, (I hope), the essence of your question, which, as always, is an interesting one. I confess to not knowing of a rule. However, I think it is at least semantically clear from the wording here, that the sentence after the period is included in
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Hi guys,

He went on to explain that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour-or less-and don't fight it, the feelings of boredom will be replaced with feelings of peace. And after a little practice, you'll learn to relax.

Well, I agree with both of you, that gramma
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Hmm. Sorry to disagree with everyone; but it seems in-scope to me, though perhaps elliptical:

"He went on to explain that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour-or less-and don't fight it, the feelings of boredom will be replaced with feelings of peace. And [to explain that] after a little practice, you'll learn to relax."

To my mind, the "And" maintains t
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DavkettPerhaps two more sentences, a whole page of sentences, a whole lot of pages of them, could conceivably fall under an initial 'that'.

Quoting my latest self, I believe I'm in agreement with you MrP. Not that you don't enjoy being a one-man team.
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