7 Cases for Inserting or Omitting Commas

7 Cases for Inserting or Omitting Commas 7 Cases for Inserting or Omitting Commas 7 Cases for Inserting or Omitting Commas By Mark Nichol Here are discussions of seven types of situations in which the presence or absence of a comma depends on various factors. 1. Word Function Whether a comma follows a word sometimes depends on the function of the word. For example, when now is employed at the head of a sentence to refer to the present time, there’s no reason to separate it from the rest of the statement: â€Å"Now you know.† But when now serves as an interjection to mark a transition or attract someone’s attention, it should be set off: â€Å"Now, have you had dinner?† (That same series of words could be used in a temporal sense, though: â€Å"Now have you had dinner?† suggests that the writer is impatient with the person the question is directed to.) 2. Before Because A sentence such as â€Å"I didn’t want to go because I hadn’t enjoyed myself last time† implies that the writer is explaining that the lack of enjoyment isn’t a factor in reluctance to attend an event; the reason for the reluctance will presumably follow. But if the meaning is opposite if the lack of enjoyment is the reason for the reluctance to attend a comma should precede because to signal that what follows the comma is a dependent clause: â€Å"I didn’t want to go, because I hadn’t enjoyed myself last time† Alternatively, the dependent clause can begin the sentence: â€Å"Because I hadn’t enjoyed myself last time, I didn’t want to go.† 3. Apposition An appositive is a word or phrase equivalent in meaning to an adjacent word or phrase, as in â€Å"She wrote to her brother, John†; â€Å"her brother† and â€Å"John† mean the same thing, so they are appositives, and the comma is necessary to set it off. However, if the woman has more than one brother, write â€Å"She wrote to her brother John.† Similarly, in â€Å"I met the writer, Jane Doe,† the comma is correct only if the writer has been alluded to before without mention of her name. Otherwise, the comma between the appositives suggests that only one writer exists. (And that puts me out of a job.) Even if writer is modified, the meaning differs: â€Å"I met the mystery writer, Jane Doe† suggests a previous reference to two or more writers, only one of whom writes mysteries, whereas â€Å"I met the mystery writer Jane Doe† simply specifies the genre in which Jane Doe writes. 4. Relative Clauses Commas may or may not be necessary, depending on whether each statement in an otherwise identical pair of sentences uses the word that or which: In â€Å"The house that Jack built is falling apart,† the phrase â€Å"that Jack built† is essential to the sentence, which specifies a particular house. In â€Å"The house, which Jack built, is falling apart,† the emphasis is on what is happening to the house, and the identity of the builder is a parenthetical, so the optional information should be bracketed by commas. â€Å"The house which Jack built is falling apart,† without commas, is also correct; it is identical in meaning to â€Å"The house that Jack built is falling apart.† However, the convention in American English is to avoid using which in this sense to prevent confusion with the meaning of the sentence with the parenthetical phrase. 5. Short Introductory Phrases Many people choose to omit a comma after introductory phrases of just a few words, as in â€Å"During the summer I like to travel.† However, such omission is arbitrary when such sentences are compared to those with longer introductory phrases and wrong in the case of transitional tags like finally, furthermore, and unfortunately and for the sake of consistency, a comma should follow any introductory word or phrase. 6. Short Independent Clauses In brief sentences such as â€Å"I will sort and you can staple† that consist of two independent clauses (complete thoughts that could stand on their own as distinct sentences), writers often choose to omit the otherwise obligatory comma before the conjunction. But just as in the case of short introductory phrases, there is the problem of where to draw the line. Does one establish a rule about how many words each clause must contain to dictate whether a comma is employed, or does one judge each sentence on its own? Let simplicity be your guide: Always include a comma. 7. Coordinate and Noncoordinate Adjectives When two or more adjectives sequentially modify a noun, depending on their relationship, they may or may not be separated by commas. To test whether to insert or omit commas, replace them with and. For example, â€Å"She was wearing a bright, cheerful expression† can also be written â€Å"She was wearing a bright and cheerful expression.† (The adjectives can be reversed in either case, too.) However, â€Å"She was wearing a dark green blouse† cannot be rendered â€Å"She was wearing a dark and green blouse,† because dark and green describe the blouse in combination, whereas bright and cheerful separately describe the expression. Also, in this case, the adjectives cannot be reversed: â€Å"She was wearing a green dark blouse† is illogical because dark modifies green, not blouse. Therefore, no comma should separate the two terms. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"36 Poetry Terms50 Synonyms for "Song"

Idioms and Expressions in Context

Idioms and Expressions in Context Its important to learn and use idioms and expressions in context. Of course, idioms are not always easy to understand. There are idiom and expression resources that can help with definitions, but reading them in short stories can also provide context that makes them come more alive. Try reading the story one time to understand the gist without using the idiom definitions. On your second reading, use the definitions to help you understand the text while learning new idioms. After you understand the story, take the quiz at the end of each reading to test your knowledge. Teachers can print out these short stories and use in class in combination with teaching ideas provided at the end of this resource list. Idioms and Expressions in Context Stories Johns Keys to SuccessA story about a man was an accomplished businessman and happily gives advice to young people he mentors. Odd Man OutA story about a man who gossiped a little too much at parties making him the odd man out anytime he joined the fun. Young and FreeA short story about what it takes to be successful in a small company. Its good preparation for young adult English learners who are college age. My Successful FriendHere is a story about a mans friend who has had a very successful career. The Road to SuccessHere is a short essay on how to succeed in todays difficult economic environment. It makes good reading for business English classes. For Teachers Use these idioms in context stories with your advanced-level classes to provide context for learning common idioms in English. Each short story of two to three paragraphs provides approximately 15 idioms. These idioms are then defined following the story followed by a short quiz testing a number of idioms from the selection. Following this introduction to the idioms in context, you can practice use of the idioms in a number of ways. Here are a few ideas: Ask students to write their own short stories using the idioms in context.Have students write dialogues using the idioms to act out in class.Group students together to create their own gap fill quizzes for other groups.Write up questions using the idioms presented and discuss as a class or in groups.Make up situations that fit each idiom on-the-fly and ask students to choose the idiom that fits best. Learning Idioms in Context   You might wonder how you can recognize an idiom when you are reading a book, online or perhaps watching TV. Here are a few tips on how you can spot an idiom: Idioms dont actually mean what they say. Thats right, the actual meaning of the words dont necessarily indicate the meaning of the idiom. Lets take a look at a few: Remember my son, the early bird catches the worm.   This idiom means that its important to get up and get to work in order to succeed in life. Of course, early birds probably catch worms as well! However, the meaning has nothing to little to do with the words.   Idioms can seem out of context. You can be sure youve spotted an idiom if you notice that the words have little to do with the context. For example, lets imagine that youre in a business meeting. Someone says: Well, itll be smooth sailing after this quarter. If youre in a business meeting, you dont expect to be talking about sailing on the open sea. This is an example of something out of context. It doesnt fit in. Thats a sure sign that it might be an idiom.   Idioms are often phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs can be literal or figurative. Literal means that the words mean exactly what they say. For example: I picked up the bag. In this case. pick up is literal. Phrasal verbs, can also be figurative pick up also means to learn: She picked up some Spanish in Madrid.   Idioms are often figurative phrasal verbs as well. Use these queues and youll start recognizing idioms in context everywhere you look and listen.

Philosophy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy - Assignment Example 104-105). A person or human is defined by the author as a creation of God that possesses moral freedom with the capacity to make decisions at will, which can either be good or evil. This distinct character is what makes a person what he or she is (p. 107-108). Free will is the human being’s freedom to make decisions in their own ‘volition’ and to take responsibility or accept the consequences that can occur through the interplay of different factors such as morality. Hick equated freewill with personal or moral freedom (p. 107). 2. In the creation of man by God the main aim is to have moral freedom which is defined by the process of making a decision or choice on the basis of his own will. For that matter if man is exposed in the natural evil that is present in his environment, he acts on his moral freedom. Man is different from God, thus, mistakes and evil acts can occur as a manifestation of being human. For that matter, the actions and behavior of man is not a ground to question the omniscience of God (p. 107). Evil is necessary because without it goodness has no worth (p.104-105). Evil is natural since the only perfect being is God and every entity can be influence by the presence of pain, suffering or degradation (p.106). The human or moral evil is a distinct characteristic of people since they are finite beings. If they only do the right things then they are ‘self-contradictory’ because they cannot randomly choose the right or the good decision in every step of the way (p.107). 4. Hick would express his view that natural evil is present as good is but it depend on the choice of the human to choose evil over goodness. For that matter it cannot be stated that human evil comprise the evil present in the world since there are pain and suffering that cannot be related to man. In addition, decisions made by