commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses
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- bfawn1
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commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses
"Christians will recognize this classic Bible story, although, presented in a unique and compelling way."
Per the Owl Purdue Online Writing Lab:
However, don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (except for cases of extreme contrast).
INCORRECT: The cat scratched at the door, while I was eating.
CORRECT: She was still quite upset, although she had won the Oscar. (This comma use is correct, because it is an example of extreme contrast.)
Extended Rules for Using Commas
3. Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.
Here are some clues to help you decide whether the sentence element is essential:
• If you leave out the clause, phrase, or word, does the sentence still make sense?
• Does the clause, phrase, or word interrupt the flow of words in the original sentence?
• If you move the element to a different position in the sentence, does the sentence still make sense?
If you answer "yes" to one or more of these questions, then the element in question is nonessential and should be set off with commas. Here are some example sentences with nonessential elements:
Clause: That Tuesday, which happens to be my birthday, is the only day when I am available to meet.
Phrase: This restaurant has an exciting atmosphere. The food, on the other hand, is rather bland.
Word: I appreciate your hard work. In this case, however, you seem to have over-exerted yourself.
Hence, by the rules above I believe the sentence in quotation marks above is correct since the sentence element is nonessential and should be set off by commas. I don't believe it is a dependent clause as in the first rule above. Thoughts? Comments? Thanks
- Emma13
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Nope, this is wrong. It should follow the same structure as "She was still quite upset, although she had won the Oscar." Get rid of the second comma.
The way the original sentence is written suggests that "although" is non-essential, which it clearly isn't.