Superfluous and thus misleading comma?
I have just read this on the Microsoft US Store page:
Microsoft Office is much more powerful and comes with better support than free software, like Open Office or Google Docs.
To me, a native English speaker, this well constructed sentence conveys the opposite of what I suspect its author intended. The sentence with comma could be re-ordered thus:
Microsoft Office, like Open Office or Google Docs, is much more powerful and comes with better support than free software.
which tends to indicate that:
- the or should be an and;
- Open Office and Google Docs are not free (which they are).
Could there be difference between British and American usage of like here? Or is this just a silly mistake on the author's part?
Top answer
Ildhund The sentence with comma could be re-ordered. No, moving a noun in apposition from one noun to another noun in the same sentence changes the meaning entirely. For example: My mother, Claudia, is prettier than her sister.
- Ildhund The sentence with comma could be re-ordered.
- No, moving a noun in apposition from one noun to another noun in the same sentence changes the meaning entirely.
- For example: My mother, Claudia, is prettier than her sister.
- My mother is prettier than her sister, Claudia.
- What is your mother's name?
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IldhundThe sentence with comma could be re-ordered.
No, moving a noun in apposition from one noun to another noun in the same sentence changes the meaning entirely.
For example:
My mother, Claudia, is prettier than her sister.
My mother is prettier than her sister, Claudia.
What is your mother's name? What is your aunt's name?
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