0
Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Trouble knowing when to put a comma before "because."
I understand the need for a comma in sentences like "I did not go to the gas station, because I was tired." Removing the comma makes the sentence seem like he is going to then give you the actual reason for not going to the gas station.
What about sentences like these?
"I wanted to run to the gas station to get some gas, because I was tired."
"I broke my monitor today, because I was having a bad day.
It seems, logically, like removing the comma doesn't change the meaning of the sentence. On both of them, the dependent clause is explaining the reason for the first clause.
Does it depend on how essential the dependent clause is? If I said:
"I broke my monitor today because I was having a bad day."
Is that placing more emphasis on the fact that I'm having a bad day?
How about "I broke my monitor today, because I was having a bad day."
The dependent clause is still an explanation for the independent clause, but it seems like it's just extra information thrown in there.
I'm just not confident that my understanding is correct. Thanks in advance!
What about sentences like these?
"I wanted to run to the gas station to get some gas, because I was tired."
"I broke my monitor today, because I was having a bad day.
It seems, logically, like removing the comma doesn't change the meaning of the sentence. On both of them, the dependent clause is explaining the reason for the first clause.
Does it depend on how essential the dependent clause is? If I said:
"I broke my monitor today because I was having a bad day."
Is that placing more emphasis on the fact that I'm having a bad day?
How about "I broke my monitor today, because I was having a bad day."
The dependent clause is still an explanation for the independent clause, but it seems like it's just extra information thrown in there.
I'm just not confident that my understanding is correct. Thanks in advance!
Top answer
Anonymous Removing the comma makes the sentence seem like he is going to then give you the actual reason for not going to the gas station. But wasn't the fact that he was tired the reason he didn't go to the gas station? That's what the sentence tells me, with or without the comma.
- Anonymous Removing the comma makes the sentence seem like he is going to then give you the actual reason for not going to the gas station.
- But wasn't the fact that he was tired the reason he didn't go to the gas station?
- That's what the sentence tells me, with or without the comma.
- " That does not make logical sense to me.
- People don't usually want to run when they are tired.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
AnonymousRemoving the comma makes the sentence seem like he is going to then give you the actual reason for not going to the gas station.But wasn't the fact that he was tired the reason he didn't go to the gas station? That's what the sentence tells me, with or without the comma.
Anonymous"I wanted to run to the gas station to
00
Yes, sorry, I noticed the gas station and tired error after I had already made the post. It doesn't make sense. I should have put "I decided to run to the gas station, because I needed gas."
00
Anonymous"I decided to run to the gas station, because I needed gas."No comma.
If you begin with the dependent clause, then a comma is necessary.
"Because I needed gas, I decided to run to the gas station."
0
Related Questions