Through

Question

I was watching raindrops falling from the sky, through the big wind of my house.

I was watching raindrop falling, through the window.

If I remove the comma from the above sentence does will make sense differently to the readers?

Vorpar · Accepted Answer

You don't need the commas; each clause needs a verb.

Wonder123 · Answer

What very should I add?

Wonder123 · Answer

Wonder123I was watching raindrops falling from the sky, through the big wind of my house.

Is the person watching the raindrops falling from the sky or raindrops falling through the window or over the window?

Wonder123I was watching raindrop falling, through the window.

Same question as above.

Enoon · Answer

Wonder123 Wonder123I was watching raindrops falling from the sky, through the big wind of my house.Is the person watching the raindrops falling from the sky or raindrops falling through the window or over the window?Wonder123I was watching raindrop falling, through the window.Same question as above.

Raindrops don't fall through a window, so you're OK.

CalifJim · Answer

Wonder123If I remove the comma ...

The ambiguity you're struggling with is this:

I was watching the rain falling through the open window.

This can mean several things.

1. (most likely) The rain was coming through the window. If you were standing close enough, you were getting wet.
2. The rain was not coming through the window. You were just watching it by looking through the window.
3. (very unlikely) You were falling through the open window as you were watching the rain.

As is quite usual in these cases, there is very little you can do with commas (or any other kind of punctuation) that will remove the ambiguity. It's surprising how many sentences just happen to be ambiguous. Changing the phrasing is usually the best solution.

CJ

Wonder123 · Answer

CalifJimThe ambiguity you're struggling with is this:

You exactly pointed out what I'm looking for, like you mentioned in 1 and 2 yes it creates two different meaning. How can I make sense to the reader exactly what I mean, when it is case 1 and when it is case 2? please help.

CalifJim · Answer

Wonder123How can I make sense to the reader exactly what I mean

Well, one thing is certain. You can't use that ambiguous sentence.

I was watching the rain falling through the open window.

1. The rain was coming through the window. If you were standing close enough, you were getting wet.

Write: I noticed that the rain was coming (in) through the open window.

2. The rain was not coming through the window. You were just watching it by looking through the window.

Write: Looking out the open window, I saw that it was raining.

CJ

Wonder123 · Answer

Ok so my sentences may confuse the readers, right? like whether the character is looking the rain fall through the window or looking the rain water that is flowing through the window.

Enoon · Answer

Take this sentence: I watched the rain fall through the window. There is no chance of misinterpretation, because rain cannot simply fall through a window. The semantics don't allow the interpretation that the rain was coming in.

Take another sentence: I watched the rain fall through the open window. Now you have a problem. The reader gets the sneaking suspicion that you mentioned that the window was open because you were unskillfully trying to say that the rain was coming in. When you make the reader think something other than what you want him to be thinking, you're failing.

Watching rain fall is a languid affair. Take a whole paragraph instead of a single sentence, and make it sing.

Wonder123 · Answer

Ok thanks.

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