Should I really insert a comma between ‘Taipei’ and ‘en route’? Or should I omit it?
Should I really insert a comma between ‘Taipei’ and ‘en route’? Or should I omit it?
The Chinese prisoners of war were given safe passage to Taipei, en route to their return to China.
Top answer
It's hard to say, because I can't see how you can be en route to your return. If I change it so it makes sense to me, "The Chinese prisoners of war were given safe passage to Taipei , en route to their homeland", I think the comma is called for, the last phrase being in apposition to "passage to Taipei". Without the comma, the sentence suggests that their safe passage was contingent upon Taipei's being en route to their homeland, which is not what is meant.
- It's hard to say, because I can't see how you can be en route to your return.
- If I change it so it makes sense to me, "The Chinese prisoners of war were given safe passage to Taipei , en route to their homeland", I think the comma is called for, the last phrase being in apposition to "passage to Taipei".
- Without the comma, the sentence suggests that their safe passage was contingent upon Taipei's being en route to their homeland, which is not what is meant.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
It's hard to say, because I can't see how you can be en route to your return. If I change it so it makes sense to me, "The Chinese prisoners of war were given safe passage to Taipei, en route to their homeland", I think the comma is called for, the last phrase being in apposition to "passage to Taipei". Without
0Being the capital of Taiwan, "Taipei" is problematic. The Chinese consider Taiwan part of China, but the Taiwanese consider themselves independent of China.
So when the prisoners reach Taipei, have they reached China or are they still on their way (en route) to China?
I would rewrite the sentence to make it clear what is actually happening.
CJ
0
Related Questions