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Andrei Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
The commas
In a park in the Latvian capital Riga, a small group of protesters gathers, all Russian, some wearing paper hats inscribed with the word "Alien".
Latvian police carry out a small, bureaucratic piece of harassment. With a tape, and much officiousness, they measure the distance between the demonstrators and the nearest public building, a school on the other side of the road.
The protest is two metres too close, so the police move it a little further down the path.
The protesters don't mind. They are there to object to a much greater injustice.
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Look at the third sentence of the above.
With a tape, and much officiousness, they measure the distance between the ..........
What is the meaning of the commas? They are meaningless.
Now look at the fourth sentence of the above.
The protest is two metres too close, so the police move it a little further down the path.
What is the meaning of the comma. I wouldn't write it.
Your thoughts, please.
Latvian police carry out a small, bureaucratic piece of harassment. With a tape, and much officiousness, they measure the distance between the demonstrators and the nearest public building, a school on the other side of the road.
The protest is two metres too close, so the police move it a little further down the path.
The protesters don't mind. They are there to object to a much greater injustice.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Look at the third sentence of the above.
With a tape, and much officiousness, they measure the distance between the ..........
What is the meaning of the commas? They are meaningless.
Now look at the fourth sentence of the above.
The protest is two metres too close, so the police move it a little further down the path.
What is the meaning of the comma. I wouldn't write it.
Your thoughts, please.
Top answer
Hello I feel the author is using commas rightly. With a tape, and much officiousness, they measure the distance. If you say "With a tape and a scale, they measure the distance", you need not a comma btw 'a tape' and 'a scale', because the two items are similar in quality.
- Hello I feel the author is using commas rightly.
- With a tape, and much officiousness, they measure the distance.
- If you say "With a tape and a scale, they measure the distance", you need not a comma btw 'a tape' and 'a scale', because the two items are similar in quality.
- On the other hand 'a tape' and 'officiousness' are totally different in nature.
- " The protest is two metres too close, so the police move it This ' , so' is 'and consequently'.
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5 Answers
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Hello
I feel the author is using commas rightly.
I feel the author is using commas rightly.
With a tape, and much officiousness, they measure the distance.If you say "With a tape and a scale, they measure the distance", you need not a comma btw 'a tape' and 'a scale', because the two items are similar in quality. On the other hand 'a tape' and 'officiousness' are totally different in nature. If I w
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paco
You mention about the consequence here.
There were about 5 bananas on the table.
I eat all the bananas, which were on the table, when I came home; because I was famished.
When one sentence follows the other, we write a semicolon. I haven't learnt to write a comma.
However,I can't take in your point in the following sentence. Could y
You mention about the consequence here.
There were about 5 bananas on the table.
I eat all the bananas, which were on the table, when I came home; because I was famished.
When one sentence follows the other, we write a semicolon. I haven't learnt to write a comma.
However,I can't take in your point in the following sentence. Could y
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Hello
(1) I was tired ; so I went home early.
(2) I was tired, so I went home early.
I don't know whether (1) is wrong or correct, but I usually write the way as (2).
paco
(1) I was tired ; so I went home early.
(2) I was tired, so I went home early.
I don't know whether (1) is wrong or correct, but I usually write the way as (2).
paco
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Hello Andrei
I would agree with Paco that commas are permissible in your first example.
This is an example of syllepsis: both 'tape' and 'officiousness', though different in kind, are governed by 'with'.
Commas are often inserted for rhetorical rather than grammatical reasons, to control the tempo by forcing the reader to pause. In your example, there are several ac
I would agree with Paco that commas are permissible in your first example.
This is an example of syllepsis: both 'tape' and 'officiousness', though different in kind, are governed by 'with'.
Commas are often inserted for rhetorical rather than grammatical reasons, to control the tempo by forcing the reader to pause. In your example, there are several ac
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Sorry, Andrei, I forgot your additional question.
In this example:
1. The protest is two metres too close, so the police move it a little further down the path.
you would again have an uncomfortably 'breathless' effect, if you took out the comma.
If you replaced it with a semi-colon, on the other hand, you would lengthen the pause:
2. The protes
In this example:
1. The protest is two metres too close, so the police move it a little further down the path.
you would again have an uncomfortably 'breathless' effect, if you took out the comma.
If you replaced it with a semi-colon, on the other hand, you would lengthen the pause:
2. The protes
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