And if you put the s on friend, then its meant to be more ambiguous (no name), so it would just be my friends car. We recommend writing as follows: Restrictive appositive (the topic): My manager created the discussion topic What concerns do you have at work? in my appraisal document. [Source: Huddleston and Pullum, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002), p. 482]. As the post states, When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, dont use commas. If the name further identifies the person or thing from an otherwise broader category (all the speakers friends) it is essential: don't separate it with commas. So there's still just you and John. This is very helpful. There is no new rule of not using a comma in a series before and. Thank you. e.g. My teacher, Mr. Brooks, and I went to the store (My teacher is Mr Brooks and the two of us went to the store). You are correct. Do you agree with the comma punctuation in the following two sentences? The error perhaps derives from confusion with the correct construction Anna May Wong, the Asian American film legend. But as is, the sentence should have no comma. 1. But I still have a question. Neither statement would be correct as punctuated. One of the most common places in which there is confusion is over things like introductions, like the following: "John, this is my wife, Mary." In this case, "Mary" is an apposite phrase and must be set off with a comma. As the post states, When the noun preceding the appositive provides sufficient identification on its own, use commas around the appositive. Therefore, your commas are correct. The that clause identifies a specific book. (I have several older brothers). The phrase newest show restricts the show title; only one show by the performance artist can be his or her newest, so a restrictive comma after show is necessary. No one will assume 2 in that case. Are those necessary? When couples divorce, the women and men are generally referred to as ex-wives or ex-husbands, respectively. The commas are correct, or enclose the bank account in parentheses instead: (number 13579). Thank you for pointing this out. 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. Hi, my name is John and this podcast, Me & My Friends is my attempt to learn from and elevate the voices of people who have had, are having a major impact on my life. (Originally, parentheses were used instead of an appositive.). Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Brett lives in Denver with his three sons and his wife, Leena. Shouldnt it be no comma after wife? If so, what's the difference? Therefore, it should be preceded by a comma. The whole reason that we haven't either all settled on using Oxford commas or all settled on not using them is that neither system actually works. Thus, option C is correct. If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page. Brett lives in Denver with his wife, Delores; three sons; and his cousin Leena. There was a young man, Michael, walking through the forest. Titles of Books, Plays, Articles, etc. English Language Learners Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for speakers of other languages learning English. Everest provides sufficient identification on its own; therefore, the commas around the non-essential appositive the worlds highest peak are correct. . The phrase not otherwise specifically defined can only modify other similar uses since the sentence makes no sense if and other similar uses is removed. In the second sentence, the commas indicate that the noun preceding the appositive (sister) provides sufficient identification on its own. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. You must log in or register to reply here. From the context we assume that Helen was the subjects wife at the time of her death. In the second quiz question, my little sister would be sufficient if you only had one little sister. OR We have a relationship with Mr. Smith through our partnership in Florida, as well as through his nephew, who is a member of our church. Regarding comma usage, the sentence is incorrect. In that case there are three people involved, of whom only two went shopping. Because the quote is before the tag in this case, we put the comma before the tag too. Mt. How would I correct this sentence, if it needs to be using commas? The lion tiger and zebra are my favorite animals at the zoo. A friend is someone who understands you, and if they don't, they try to. When the noun preceding the appositive provides sufficient identification on its own, use commas around the appositive. How do commas and appositives work when youre trying to indicate possession. The entire phrase following Jack is an appositive. He was Jack, the big ape, who got his job because of his mother. If youre editing such a sentence, and you dont have details, its best to omit commas. Example: Jorge Torres, our senator, was born in California. There are two main options: To my beloved, John. (It could. Do you know all your brothers and sisters names?. The rule states, When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, dont use commas. If the formal name of the company is Bob Jones, Architect, it should be capitalized. Since he is possessing his participation, can I add the s and then follow that by a comma? (If I have couple older brothers). "My sister Jane is a pain." Get BTS access and more: http://www.patreon.com/filmcow Lyrics:. My friend, John, and I went shopping." If I understand you correctly My sister Jane is a pain is correct if Jane is one of multiple sisters, but if she is the only sister it should be My sister, Jane, is a pain. But that doesnt seem to match up with the continued advice: and a clarifying modifier like older (unless there are two or more sisters of greater age) preceding her name would be helpful. If Jane is my only sister, what is the point of the clarifying modifier? I recently watched a news-video which included the sentence One of her top priority issues, an expanded family-leave programme, has failed to gain traction. See our post Capitalization of Job Titles for more information. This includes identifying information. (See also: John McCain) 2. However, if have only one sister, then the comma should be there. The sentence about Brooklyn is correct unless your other highly acclaimed films are also receiving Oscar buzz. Although he, works hard, math is hard for Jared. What is the origin and basis of stare decisis? 1. If the name comes first, it is followed by a comma: Children, please stop jumping on the beds. 1 That house in fact belongs to my grandfather. I suspect, Michael, that you know the answer. If you have only one friend, only one cousin, or only one brother, then your commas are correct because the names of these people are not necessary to precisely identify them. If you're wrapping a full sentence within parentheses, the final punctuation must stay within those parentheses: Correct: John is reckless fool . This says that John is equivalent to your beloved. Battles by My Friend John . A rule that depends on how many dogs you have, or similar context should be treated as a guideline at best. In that example, said Dorothy is the tag. A phrase that people use when they've actually forgotten your name. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. In the second sentence, father is a precise identifier (as long as there is only one person he calls his father). He is a good, but strict teacher. In this show I get my friend John to experience a piece of media he hasn't seen or heard before! or While I dont mind citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, and oranges, I really prefer vegetables. E.g., Anna May Wong, or Anna Can Wong, mean 2 different things depending on whether the statement refers to Annas Wonging ability, or having permission. We recommend: Outdoor amusements means those amusements including fairgrounds, outdoor sports facilities, racetracks, and other similar uses not otherwise specifically defined. This error mirrors that in the preceding example; it can afflict references to inanimate entities as well as descriptions of people. Example: This is the book that he put on the table. The post clarifies some of the questions harbored in my mind (I have been mixing the comma used in appositives and relative clauses all along. 11 reviews. (Basically Dog-people), Looking to protect enchantment in Mono Black, is this blue one called 'threshold? It would be advisable to rewrite the sentence to avoid this quandary: The first question on the application was, Where do you see yourself in five years? It made her panic. That sentence works fine on its own. Therefore, no commas are necessary. And, essentially, everyone argues that the system they were brought up with is better. Salman Rushdie is necessary to help identify Indian-British author. I believe the latter (with the additional comma) is generally preferred, as it avoids ambiguity in phrases like "I'd like to thank my parents, Ayn Rand and God"., in which it sounds like the speaker is the child of Ayn Rand and God, while they actually meant a list of things consisting of [the parents, Ayn Rand, God]. Unrelated comments may be deleted. This means that you need to use a post-comma when you're using "hey," "hello," or "hi" together with the addressee's name in your salutation. My friend is taking this as a joke, saying that Pence is endorsing Gary Johnson (a bold truth-teller) among three candidates, while I say that even ignoring the obvious context of the statement, the phrase should still be taken as an appositive. A comma is used around the appositive. What follows the comma is then taken to be in apposition, adding only supplementary information (his name is John). In fact, the source you cite agrees with me. Everest, the worlds highest peak, is 29,028. or 'runway threshold bar?'. Regarding comma usage, the sentence is correct. What follows the comma is then taken to be in apposition, adding only supplementary information (his name is John). Note also that whos sick would be a restrictive clause (no separating comma) because it describes one man from possibly many men named Paul. . answer choices. Finally she did, and my friend, John, and I went shopping. "My friend Tom" is restrictive, so don't use a comma; "My boss, Mr. Andrews" is non-restrictive, so use a comma. Since Jane is not essential to the meaning of wife, use commas around the appositive. 3. If the commas introduce ambiguity then don't use them. Cannot understand how the DML works in this code. Also, I think that the author of Rule 4 is mixing that relative [adjective] clauses with that noun clauses, and probably means that noun clauses.). Please help. No commas are needed if you have two (or more) older brothers. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. How about this sentence? I had a brother named Jim and a sister named Mary. 2. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. Shadam will be married in her mother Sarahs gold wedding band. The XYZs Bobby Smith reprises the Emmy Award-winning Bobbys Corner with special guest, Mayor John Doe.. Do you have an example of a kid friendly examples for commas with appositives? (She had three sisters). Using a Commas for Direct Address When addressing a person or thing directly, the name used must be offset with a comma (or two commas if it's mid-sentence). As the post states, When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, dont use commas. Because Poe had written more than one short story, the title is essential to the meaning of the noun story. Therefore, no commas are necessary. Without context, it is impossible to know which may have been intended. The subtitles wrote the apposition between commas but I feel like the apposition is necessary to know which one of her [] issues it refers to. Your email address will not be published. If you use your name and job title as your trading name, should you use a comma to write it, like this: Your comma is fine; however, titles immediately following the name do not ordinarily require capitalization unless the title is part of a signature line, press release, or promotional material. Example: Harvey, my friend, loves animals. According to your first answer we need to put comma after nonessential cloud even if it is before essential word. Who is right in this case? We're sorry. "John, this is Mary, my wife." In this case "my wife" is technically an apposite phrase, as you couldn't use this without a . Also, a period is missing from the end of the sentence. It is separated by commas since it presents an information that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence as a whole.. A. What is the difference of these two sentences with the comma separation? The punishment, called release, is brutal. Example: My friend Harvey is an animal lover. The one you saw is my close friend, John. 2 No I have never seen him before. The reason I give is that the use of either/or, and that the articles for the second two phrases differ, indicating that a bold truth-teller is an appositive, being less precise and thus not indicative of a specific candidate (A bold truth-teller? = I am talking to "Tom." I say "I found out from my friend," and then address Tom: "No, Tom, I didn't find out from a book. Does it make a difference if there are multiple defendants? Among the choices above, the choice "My friend John, who owns the chocolate Lab puppy, is . The FratellisAlbum: Here We StandSong: 01 My Friend JohnYear: 2008Type: Indie Technically that last statement is very context dependent. In this sentence, does the final phrase not otherwise specifically defined which is preceded by a comma modify only other similar uses or all the uses listed? Do I need to add another comma before the names of my family members? (The problem is apparent.) Why did you add the quotes around the question? Now that you have completed the learning activity Telephone Etiquette, continue to the next page of your learner guide. My fathers friend Carlos is a well-known chef. On November 26, 1922, Carter and a fellow archaeologist Lord Carnarvon entered the interior chambers of the tomb. Are the commas correct in the following sentences? You can also form a possessive by using the word "of," such as "The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom." (Of course, you could also . I work for a law firm. You can use semicolons to separate units of a series when one or more of the units contain commas. How to use the passive voice. Especially given that the answer above, which is nearly identical, is getting upvoted? A modifier is termed as the information or a piece of additional information about a noun, pronoun, or adjective that is given about the sentences. But your last answer is No commas are needed if you have two (or more) older brothers. Our interpretation is that from the arts to athletics is an adjective phrase modifying the noun possibilities. We would not include the commas because they would separate the noun from its modifier, which is not an appositive. (Although I doubt you would get much argument if you wrote, Shadam will be married in her mother, Sarahs, gold wedding band.) Some people use the serial comma diligently. It is still a polite way to say hello to someone you're seeing in the morning. Its my friend Johns car. Am I just wrong in my feelings that it is restrictive? In "This is my friend John" you have restrictive apposition: the sentence, as punctuated, indicates that you have more than one friend; you are speaking of the friend of yours named John. Also remember to use words carefully. Example: Julie Minsky, CEO, will be our featured speaker. Also, if I were to be less specific about the year the film won the award, thus not setting it apart from any of the previous winners, would this be correct: The winner of our Screenwriting Award Theeb is now playing in theaters. Ex: This is still ambiguous as to whether there are 2 or 3 people going shopping. Sticking with the question at hand, the comma after the word and is correct. My best friend, Amelia, can speak four languages. I do not know. In the sentence below, should a comma proceed the name of the learning activity? Joshua and Caleb had brought back the minority report after spying out the land, and as a result they were spared the judgement against the unbelieving Israelites. You must be signed in to continue. The comma after the word and is unnecessary. In which case, it would seem that My older sister, Jane, is a pain would be correct. The comma preceding the firms name erroneously implies that only one New York-based research firm exists, and it is therefore erroneous (unless there was a previous reference, not by name, to the specific company). Perhaps the document the sentence comes from is well written, but the sentence is not. In addition to your approach, other possibilities could be: While I dont mind citrus fruits (lemons, limes, and oranges), I really prefer vegetables. Both of those look wrong to me. Therefore no comma is required there; however, if Shadam only has one father, the word Richard is not essential to her father. My mother, Mary, took me to see the Spice Girls in concert. The opposite problem is on display here. Generally when you are identifying something or someone, such as John, you do not need (and should not use) commas. The best guidance we can find on this is to add s only to the appositive, as you have done, and also drop the comma that would normally follow the appositive phrase. For the less ardent fans who may not understand this topic, to help make it clearer while sounding better, wed switch to descriptive participles instead of using nouns in apposition: The number one-seeded Tampa Bay Rays played the eighth-seeded Toronto Blue Jays. If you want a cupcake you must first finish your dinner. The sentence is a bit ambiguous, however our assumption of the intended meaning was based on the original sentence mentioning a relationship rather than relationships with Mr. Smith and his nephew, as well as the specific question asked, which was Is a comma needed after nephew? Our response seemed to satisfy Ginny Tarver, since she did not write back with any further clarifications. Book titles should be italicized. Rather than either sentence, we recommend Please give me that pen, Sue. ): The dog barked at a cat, and the cat ran up a tree. Punctuate within full-sentence parentheses. If this is the first show that particular performance artist has ever put on (and therefore, the artists only show), would it not be correct to use the commas? Deed from John and wife, Jane to Bob. I would not assume that John was your only friend with sentence 1. As we indicate in Rule 2 of Dashes, dashes can replace otherwise mandatory punctuation. At the same time, both sentences could potentially benefit from revision: Because you did not pick up the packages, the entire production schedule is delayed. I had two siblings: Jim and Mary. Follow the same rules when using other terms to refer to someone or a group. I went to the game to laugh, have fun, and talk with my friends. Im so confused because of it. In 1988, Indian-British author Salman Rushdie published a book called The Satanic Verses, which seemed to be a satire taunting modern Islam. There are situations where determining restrictive (or essential) words or phrases versus nonrestrictive (or nonessential) are not clear-cut. (Rule 4 of Semicolons: Use the semicolon to separate units of a series when one or more of the units contain commas.). Site Maintenance- Friday, January 20, 2023 02:00 UTC (Thursday Jan 19 9PM How do you use commas when referring to a person and yourself in a sentence while naming the person? The word "too" is an adverb that indicates "also" or "in addition.". Consider "My friend, John and I went shopping". You would be better off recasting the sentence; there should be no obligation to go with this awful combination of words. First of all, I would like to thank you for this wonderful explanation. In the first pop quiz question, the appositive is my little sister. In this sentence, is the comma necessary? However, a church-organist friend keeps asking me for help with the Latin in the hymns they're singing, Latin sacred music is still sung quite a bit in concert halls, and not long ago ELU had this question about the Latin vocative in English. How would you punctuate the following book dedication? Each clause has a subject and verb and could stand as a sentence unto itself. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I saw this sentence on a blog discussing conjunctive adverbs.They left out the comma before the conjunction so. 5 - 8 years. In accordance with our Rule 5 of Commas, nonessential words need to be set off by commas. Example: My sister, who received a scholarship, will attend Harvard. Examples: My brother Alex enjoys breaking toys. Place commas wherever they are needed in the following sentences. A good friend of mine, Harry, went to the party. I am trying to write the sentence in an email regarding tuition for my only son: I am certain I owe a large amount for my son, Blaises, participation. If Blaise is the appositive and I only have one son, I believe I should use the commas. How to make chocolate safe for Keidran? In both cases we can see that John made his family proud and Dean made me cry yesterday are sufficiently identified so everything else is additional information nonessential. English puts the possessive 's at the end of the whole noun phrase. In cases where an appositive in quotation marks is not essential, our Rule 4 of Quotation Marks says, Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks.. I need my sunglasses. (Use commas if Alex is your only brother.). Jane Jones, Esq., has joined the board of directors. If you have only one mother and Eli and Noah are your only chldren, my mother and my children are precise identifiers. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Luke Hunter and Ronnie are the hardest working students. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company. Avoiding alpha gaming when not alpha gaming gets PCs into trouble. "My friend John" (no punctuation) works as a noun phrase, so you can write this: My friend John's car. B. An appositive is a word or phrase that refers to the same idea as another word or phrase in proximity. David had come to the after-party with his wife Lily. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. lingobingo Senior Member London English - England Dec 5, 2022 #2 Andrews, the dead mans, parents were fighting a custody battle. Should there be a comma between the first and and at, or before the and? My wife, the CFO of her company, reads spy novels by the bucketful. The meaning can change without it. Does the s after Shinjuku, Japan negate the need for an additional comma? He was Jack, the big ape who got his job because of his mother. Thanks, MarkI thought thats what you meant, but so many apparently simple rules turn out to be anything but when one starts poking at them with real world examples. (If It Is At All Possible), Error Sql (1064) creating a function in MariaDB. The reason is that and is serving as a coordinating conjunction between two independent clauses. my friend john commacraftsman tool box lock rod Text Size: silicone muffin cups : target university of texas assistant basketball coach salary Call us at (858) 263-7716 1) Pauls sister Louise is getting married. Celebrate friendship with this lyrical picture book that beautifully illustrates John Lennon and Paul McCartney's world-renowned words from "With a Little Help from My Friends." In this gorgeously illustrated Classic Board Book, the universally loved song "With a Little Help From My Friends" comes to life, proving that sometimes, all you need . The plural verb were should be used. Therefore, Paul has only one sister. The word precisely does not seem needed: Its headquarters is located in the capital, Rabat, in Madinat Al Irfane. My friend Bob is a teacher. 1) My manager created the discussion topic, What concerns do you have at work?, in my appraisal document. Or do I use commas or not? (Well, okay, it could be two people, if you're telling a story to "My friend" about John and yourself. In trumpeting this masochistic achievement, the writer is suggesting that the volume in question is the only one in existence; it is the book. But bibliophiles have other options, so the writer should respect that fortunate fact by omitting both commas from this sentence. Although he works hard math is difficult for Jared. My boss John came over. Charles went to town with his best friend, Mike. I have a question about comma use when a persons title acts as an appositive. So in my example My older brother Dean cant do it we need to put comma after my older brother? The number one seed, Tampa Bay Rays, played the eight seed, Toronto Blue Jays. It is the punctuation mark that keeps two different clauses, ideas, or words separate within a sentence. My cousin, Chris, is a genius when it comes to math. What a shame). 9. In the second sentence, the phrase given to Shadam by her father is essential to the word scarf since it identifies that particular scarf. If I have two little sisters, and one of them is called Ella, then the comma shouldnt be there before the name. On his sixth birthday, Gio receives a Toy Astronaut. If Squiggly owns a car, you say, "This is Squiggly's car.". ), while THE most dishonest candidate in history is clearly referring to one person (at least in Pences mind), and because even if there were other most dishonest candidate(s) in history, only one of them is running against Trump at this time. In addition, book titles are italicized. There's not a day that passes by without you crossing in Should this phrase begin with while or whilst? I think the solution, that he hired a replacement, was the best course of action at the time. Couldn't you still run into the same problem using "My oldest friend, Jessie, and I went shopping."? Therefore you are correct to use a comma: We read the book Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. @thumbtackthief why is it wrong? So you could say, "I too like reading mysteries" or "I . The Comma Johanneum and Cyprian. Applying these rules, you should be able to do the other seven sentences on your own. Its headquarters is located in the capital Rabat, precisely in Madinat Al Irfane. If we remove "Sam," the meaning of "good morning" stays the same. He knew what people said about him. I need my sunglasses, and my brother needs his beach ball. The multiple-marking version is preferred in writing, no doubt because it allows the supplement to be set off by paired commas. Rule 11 in the Commas section of Grammarbook.com states, If something or someone is sufficiently identified, the description following it is considered nonessential and should be surrounded by commas. Since Brett only has one wife, the word Leena is nonessential to the meaning of the word wife. Further, as Rule 1 states, To avoid confusion, use commas to separate words and word groups with a series of three or more. In theory, this sentence could be interpreted exactly as you did, with the series of three being his wife, Leena, and three sons. Is this grammatically correct? Is it necessary to put a comma to avoid confusion, or is it better as is? Which one? We file a pleading on behalf of just one defendant. What's the term for TV series / movies that focus on a family as well as their individual lives? Is that written correctly? Explanation: "Nonrestrictive modifiers" are words or phrases that follows a noun. 2) There was a call about a man whos sick, named Paul. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Brett lives in Denver with his wife, three sons, and his cousin Leena. rev2023.1.17.43168. Which one is correct? The comma rule depicted here is simple: use a comma with the name of a person you are directly addressing.
Rivers Casino Bet Builder Schenectady,
Blair Place Magnolia, Tx,
Alexis Bledel Workout,
Articles M
