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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Questions on describing simple pictures
Hi. Please help. Let's us say we are to write about a certain picture we are seeing. The picture has some students looking at a painting and a student passing by looking at his book. The place is an art gallery. What I am not sure is whether to put the comma before the underlined participle phrase. I think we have to put a comma if it is considered nonessential to the whole clause. Then again, how could we determine when there seem to be no context for it to determine? I think Clive said in one of the posts I wrote in Basic Grammar section of your forums that we are to write and punctuate something just like we are saying it in speech. And I think Mr. M said something like (not sure exactly what he said) that comma uses for participle phrases like the underlined part need to determine whether or not they are essential to the whole clause. For example, based on what I think Mr. M said, the part a boy carrying his pencil case on a test day would be essential if the context were set up like this.
A: Where is he going?
B: He is going to school carrying his pencil case, since he has tests today.
Going back to the picture at the art gallery, how could we determine if we are to put a comma before this underlined participle phrase part or not?
A boy is passing by (comma here?) reading a book.
A boy is passinb by them (comma here?) reading a book.
I am sorry but could you help me with this, too. Let us say there is a picture of a girl taking a picture of two students and a teacher who are standing in front of a black board. Could we write like this? I think both are correct.
A girl is taking pictures of two students and a teacher standing in front of the black board.
Two students are taking pictures with their teacher in front of the black board.
A: Where is he going?
B: He is going to school carrying his pencil case, since he has tests today.
Going back to the picture at the art gallery, how could we determine if we are to put a comma before this underlined participle phrase part or not?
A boy is passing by (comma here?) reading a book.
A boy is passinb by them (comma here?) reading a book.
I am sorry but could you help me with this, too. Let us say there is a picture of a girl taking a picture of two students and a teacher who are standing in front of a black board. Could we write like this? I think both are correct.
A girl is taking pictures of two students and a teacher standing in front of the black board.
Two students are taking pictures with their teacher in front of the black board.
Top answer
I don't know whether you want me answering again, but I would do it like this: A boy is passing by reading a book. -- He is passing and reading. A boy is passing by them, reading a book .
- I don't know whether you want me answering again, but I would do it like this: A boy is passing by reading a book.
- -- He is passing and reading.
- A boy is passing by them, reading a book .
- -- This makes it clear that 'they' are not reading.
- Of course the real solution is to get the phrase nearer its referent: A boy reading a book is passing by (them) .
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3 Answers
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I don't know whether you want me answering again, but I would do it like this:
A boy is passing by reading a book. -- He is passing and reading.
A boy is passing by them, reading a book. -- This makes it clear that 'they' are not reading.
Of course the real solution is to get the phrase nearer its referent:
A boy reading a book is passing b
A boy is passing by reading a book. -- He is passing and reading.
A boy is passing by them, reading a book. -- This makes it clear that 'they' are not reading.
Of course the real solution is to get the phrase nearer its referent:
A boy reading a book is passing b
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Thank you very much. Please help me further by answering this question.
Would you say these say the same, assuming the two girls are not the ones who are taking pictures with a camera but rather the people having pictures taken (with their teachers)? I think they do. For the sake of this question, let us take the person who takes the pictures out of the "picture," so to speak. Thank you
Would you say these say the same, assuming the two girls are not the ones who are taking pictures with a camera but rather the people having pictures taken (with their teachers)? I think they do. For the sake of this question, let us take the person who takes the pictures out of the "picture," so to speak. Thank you
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AnonymousWould you say these say the same, assuming the two girls are not the ones who are taking pictures with a camera but rather the people having pictures taken (with their teachers)? I think they do.
Two girls are taking pictures with their teacher in front of the black board.
(your correction)
Two girls are having their pictures taken with
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