Type of usage in this sentence.

Question

Is the verb is implied here and therefore no needed?

Steven's a wonderful son destined for greatness. (is this like an implied 'is) (Steven is a ect.)

Around the edge of the shield was a border in a pattern of red and ermine, from the arms of a noble family, who took their name from their ancestral family home.

Would it be wrong to not use a comma before 'from'.

There is a natural pause there and the clauses aren't essential, but it feels optional before 'from' . Does the comma represent a pause or is it a grammar rule?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

panda blue 483Steven's a wonderful son destined for greatness. (is this like an implied 'is) (Steven is a ect.)

The contraction 's can be is or has.

Steven's a wonderful son destined for greatness. (The contraction, Steven's = Steven is)
Steven's got a wonderful son destined for greatness. (The contraction, Steven's = Steven has)

panda blue 483Would it be wrong to not use a comma before 'from'.

It seems to me that the comma is incorrect, but the sentence is not a very good one. It does not make much sense.

Clive · Answer

Is the verb is implied here and therefore no needed?

Steven's a wonderful son destined for greatness. (is this like an implied 'is) (Steven is a ect. <<<<<< Steven's is a contraction of Steven is, so there is a verb.

Around the edge of the shield was a border in a pattern of red and ermine, from the arms of a noble family, who took their name from their ancestral family home.

Would it be wrong to not use a comma before 'from'. <<<<< No, it wouldn't be wrong.

There is a natural pause there and the clauses aren't essential, but it feels optional before 'from' . Does the comma represent a pause or is it a grammar rule? <<<<< You can pause there if you wish, or not pause. I find it helpful to think of a comma as a pause.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

panda blue 483Around the edge of the shield was a border in a pattern of red and ermine, from the arms of a noble family, who took their name from their ancestral family home.

Would it be wrong to not use a comma before 'from'?

Both commas are wrong, alone or together. You have made the bold phrase parenthetical, and it is not. If you only put a comma after "family", the final clause becomes non-essential and thus also becomes gratuitous (even without a comma, the clause seems out of place unless you tell us the name). A lone comma after "ermine" is not needed and interferes with reading.

panda blue 483There is a natural pause there and the clauses aren't essential, but it feels optional before 'from' . Does the comma represent a pause or is it a grammar rule?

You can't use a comma for a "natural pause" in nonfiction prose. Every comma must have a technical reason for being there. Otherwise you jar the reader, who is expecting conventional punctuation.

Type of usage in this sentence.

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