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Bhikkhu1991 Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Punctuation-Why no commas and so on?

Hello,

Could you tell why the following words 'then' have no commas immediately after them? Are they not connective adverbs and why does Sentence B have no punctuation between independent clauses?

Sentence A. Why don't you hire a car? Then you'll be able to visit more of the area.

Sentence B. She's been very busy at work and then there was all that trouble with her son. (These two sentences are examples from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 7th edition.)

Thank you.

With best wishes.
  

Top answer

Neither of the rules you suggest is absolute; both are merely guidelines. Much depends on the writer, the publishing house's punctuation rules, the complexity of the sentence, and the variety of English.

— Mister Micawber

  • Neither of the rules you suggest is absolute; both are merely guidelines.
  • Much depends on the writer, the publishing house's punctuation rules, the complexity of the sentence, and the variety of English.
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1 Answers
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Neither of the rules you suggest is absolute; both are merely guidelines. Much depends on the writer, the publishing house's punctuation rules, the complexity of the sentence, and the variety of English.
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