Newbie having comma issues
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Re: Newbie having comma issues
- MrsCatInTheHat
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ButterscotchCherrie wrote: ↑31 May 2018, 07:46 Grammarly and Scribens aren't foolproof. They're more of a checking tool (IMO).
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I did an online grammar course recently, and thought I understood comma placement much better.
Why would I need a comma after "It is my opinion" in the sentence: "It is my opinion that this whole book is an anomaly."
I would understand the need for the comma, if the line did not use the conjunction, such as: "In my opinion, this whole book . . ."
And to verify, which sources are used on this site? I've never used grammerly but I guess I will have to, if I want to continue on here.
And this may be the wrong place to ask this, but is there a way that you can see your editor's comments and your review side by side?
I have to admit, I spent way longer writing my review than I thought I would, so getting banged for a comma and a misspelling hurts!!
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I wouldn't use a comma in your example. I always save my reviews in Word so I can have the editors comments screen open and the Word doc open. Then I just put those two things side-by-side on my screen to look at them together.FictionLover wrote: ↑02 Jun 2018, 08:40 As a newbie, I'm jumping on Bianka's thread because I also had a "Problem with a Comma". - - It's like that movie, Trouble with the Curve. Only this isn't baseball, and I'm not falling in love with some hot guy. But I digress.
I did an online grammar course recently, and thought I understood comma placement much better.
Why would I need a comma after "It is my opinion" in the sentence: "It is my opinion that this whole book is an anomaly."
I would understand the need for the comma, if the line did not use the conjunction, such as: "In my opinion, this whole book . . ."
And to verify, which sources are used on this site? I've never used grammerly but I guess I will have to, if I want to continue on here.
And this may be the wrong place to ask this, but is there a way that you can see your editor's comments and your review side by side?
I have to admit, I spent way longer writing my review than I thought I would, so getting banged for a comma and a misspelling hurts!!
- FictionLover
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I wrote the review in Word (and got dinged for a formatting error I missed!), so that makes sense.
- MThompson0605
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I personally like the way you punctuated the sentence, and would've done exactly the same way. By inserting commas in the chosen locations, you eliminated confusion and ensured smooth understanding.Bianka Walter wrote: ↑31 Mar 2018, 12:18 Hi everyone,
So I see that I'm not the only one that has issues when it comes to commas. The last review I wrote was particularly dismal. There was a sentence that I questioned a few times, but in the end, decided it was right. I was wrong.
I would like to ask opinions on this sentence and get some feedback. It reads as follows:
"Ultimately, those things are swept under the rug as they are introduced to demons, telepathy and possession, and of course… monsters."
I understand that when listing things, commas are needed to separate the list items, however, in this case, I wanted to group telepathy and possession into one item.
Should I have chosen instead to use semi-colons?
Should I have separated the two, even though they went hand in hand in the book?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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I would have written the first sentence as: The computer, which I bought yesterday, has broken down already.jgraney8 wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 18:00 No, Mildred, you should not assume that you should put a comma before which every time. Read the explanation on Grammarly about using commas with which. When the which clause is necessary for understanding the sentence, you shouldn't use a comma, but you usually will use that in those cases.
Here are a couple of examples from StackExchange where the comma is not used to set off the relative clause.
- The computer which I bought yesterday has broken down already.
In each sentence, the which-clause provides defining or essential information for understanding the sentence.
- Do you have the screwdriver which you borrowed last week?
When the clause is defining, essential, or restrictive (it depends on which grammar book you use), no comma is used.
I don't see how "which I bought yesterday" is necessary for the sentence. "The computer has broken down already." is understandable without it.
Can you please help me to understand how the phrase is necessary?
Side question: Should I have removed the period at the end of the quoted sentence? Why, or why not?
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Off the top of my head, "which I bought yesterday" is defining because the emphasis is on the fact that the computer has broken down *already* despite being so new. If this is still not clear I will check the Chicago Manual of Style. You should leave the period in the quoted sentence because it is there in the original.Tiny_Turtle wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 13:22I would have written the first sentence as: The computer, which I bought yesterday, has broken down already.jgraney8 wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 18:00 No, Mildred, you should not assume that you should put a comma before which every time. Read the explanation on Grammarly about using commas with which. When the which clause is necessary for understanding the sentence, you shouldn't use a comma, but you usually will use that in those cases.
Here are a couple of examples from StackExchange where the comma is not used to set off the relative clause.
- The computer which I bought yesterday has broken down already.
In each sentence, the which-clause provides defining or essential information for understanding the sentence.
- Do you have the screwdriver which you borrowed last week?
When the clause is defining, essential, or restrictive (it depends on which grammar book you use), no comma is used.
I don't see how "which I bought yesterday" is necessary for the sentence. "The computer has broken down already." is understandable without it.
Can you please help me to understand how the phrase is necessary?
Side question: Should I have removed the period at the end of the quoted sentence? Why, or why not?
- Mary WhiteFace
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Thank you on both counts. Your answers make sense.ButterscotchCherrie wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 13:45Off the top of my head, "which I bought yesterday" is defining because the emphasis is on the fact that the computer has broken down *already* despite being so new. If this is still not clear I will check the Chicago Manual of Style. You should leave the period in the quoted sentence because it is there in the original.Tiny_Turtle wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 13:22I would have written the first sentence as: The computer, which I bought yesterday, has broken down already.jgraney8 wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 18:00 No, Mildred, you should not assume that you should put a comma before which every time. Read the explanation on Grammarly about using commas with which. When the which clause is necessary for understanding the sentence, you shouldn't use a comma, but you usually will use that in those cases.
Here are a couple of examples from StackExchange where the comma is not used to set off the relative clause.
- The computer which I bought yesterday has broken down already.
In each sentence, the which-clause provides defining or essential information for understanding the sentence.
- Do you have the screwdriver which you borrowed last week?
When the clause is defining, essential, or restrictive (it depends on which grammar book you use), no comma is used.
I don't see how "which I bought yesterday" is necessary for the sentence. "The computer has broken down already." is understandable without it.
Can you please help me to understand how the phrase is necessary?
Side question: Should I have removed the period at the end of the quoted sentence? Why, or why not?
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Post your errors at topics in this forum so we all can discuss it! Your grammar will likely improve and your questions will be answered.trajoe1206 wrote: ↑30 May 2018, 15:57 I too have had some issues with commas and always use grammarly and scribens before submitting, but still managed to get errors - very confused