When the word the appears, the title is used descriptively and requires a comma (as in the first sentence). There are two main options: To my beloved, John. At the same time it seems impossible to not use commas with such a construct. Your first sentence does not contain an appositive; therefore, commas are not necessary. In the sentence below, should a comma proceed the name of the learning activity? But my teacher gave me this: My brother enjoys breaking toys. Incorrect: He yelled to the driver, "This isn't my Uber"! 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). Our Rule 4b of Commas states, A comma is usually unnecessary when a sentence starts with an independent clause followed by a dependent clause. However, in your sentence, the pause by the comma helps convey a parenthetical thought and separate the definition from the term. My sister is a precise identifier (lets assume the speaker has just one sister), so I can see why wed offset Sharon in its singular form. This includes identifying information. I think #1 is correct. 1) Pauls sister Louise is getting married. But your last answer is No commas are needed if you have two (or more) older brothers. Her hero is Michelle Kwan a, skating superstar. Does the rules listed above also apply to title? As you note, it makes it confusing: the sentence is more clear without them. Unless John is a polygamist, the word wife is a precise identifier. 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. Charles went to town with his best friend, Mike. 11 reviews. Regarding comma usage, the sentence is correct. Do you have an example of a kid friendly examples for commas with appositives? CORRECT. Amazing offers from Shinjuku, Japans leading luxury hotel. He names the toy astronaut, John, and from that moment on, the two become best friends. How does this rule apply with the following sentence structure? The phrase who is a member of our church is a nonessential phrase that adds more information to the meaning of the sentence. This sentence has a subordinate clause and an appositive set off with dashes: While I dont mind citrus fruits lemons, limes, and oranges I really prefer vegetables. The comma is there to separate the quote from the tagthe phrase that tells us who's being quoted. Martin the captain is logical only if theres more than one Martin: Martin the captain wore his dress uniform, while Martin the lieutenant was still in his combat fatigues. But its more likely that in such a case, youd use each Martins job title before his name. Without further understanding of the context, and simply from a grammatical point of view, we would shorten to: Outdoor amusements means those amusements including fairgrounds, outdoor sports facilities, racetracks, and other similar uses. 8. Oh, interesting and helpful. (No commas if you have more than one brother.) a. . Example: Our pediatrician, Andr Wilson, was born in California. So we have:An above average student and talented musician, John made his family proud and My older brother, Dean made me cry yesterday. He noted that I had not mentioned Cyprian in my essay on this text and that some KJV only folks claimed that Cyprian actually quoted the form that appears in the KJV ("For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and . Yes. Press J to jump to the feed. Your clever friend has found an ambiguity that could be avoided with a punctuation adjustment: Our choice has never been more clear. Madol Duwa is a precise identifier; the appositive the famous childrens book is not considered essential. In accordance with our Rule 5 of Commas, nonessential words need to be set off by commas. The phrase the performance artists show Say No More, however, includes no qualifiers and therefore requires no comma. My little sister Ella will escort you to your seat. I read the editing handbook The Chicago Manual of Style in one sitting would be appropriate in a context in which the content of the book is not apparent. Versus: 2) My manager created the discussion topic What concerns do you have at work? The reason is "direct address." We use commas to show that we are talking to the reader, not about the reader. Who is right in this case? Our senator is surrounded by commas because Jorge Torres is a precise identifier. You are using an out of date browser. (I just decided to "throw" in her name to give you some extra information.) Also, the sentence is awkward. When the noun preceding the appositive provides sufficient identification on its own, use commas around the appositive. In your first sentence, Mt. How to make chocolate safe for Keidran? 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]. The reason is that and is serving as a coordinating conjunction between two independent clauses. Example: The girl who received a scholarship is my sister. In "This is my friend, John" you have nonrestrictive apposition: the sentence, as punctuated, indicates that you have only one friend; his name is John. Also, sometimes context is enough to pick out one referent and then you might well intend an apposition: "I'd like you to meet my associate, Rita" (with a definite pause before the name) when the speaker has more than one associate, but Rita is with him in the room, so she's clearly the unique referent intended. If you live in the UK, the rule is reversed: place the punctuation outside of the quotes. Is that written correctly? When a formal title precedes a persons name, it is capitalized as part of the name; therefore, no commas are required. Luke Hunter and Ronnie are the hardest working students. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. Explanation: My sister is a relatively precise identifier. When "hey" is used in an e-mail or letter salutation E-mail and letter salutations that use greeting expressions rather than adjectives also need to be punctuated with a comma. Thanks! When you address someone-hey, you-you're supposed to use a comma. The comma makes it non-restrictive. Avoiding alpha gaming when not alpha gaming gets PCs into trouble. 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. Food trucks, which trucks equipped to cook and serve food, are becoming a popular dining option for food enthusiasts. Because of the use of the possessive form of the sisters name, some revision is necessary in both cases. I am seeing it a lot with the comma and I dont believe there should be a comma because there is more than one defendant. I had a brother named Jim and a sister named Mary. Whether the first example sentence is written Brett lives in Denver with his wife, Leena, and three sons, or as Brett lives in Denver with his wife, Leena and three sons, we could be confused as to whether Brett lives with four people or five, whether Leena is his wife, whether he lives with his three sons or Leenas three sons, etc. Our Rule 11 of Commas says, If something or someone is sufficiently identified, the description following it is considered nonessential and should be surrounded by commas. In your first sentence, the term best friend is a precise identifier and the name Mike is nonessential, therefore you are correct to use a comma. The comma after the word and is unnecessary. my teacher told me I should drop the commna before precisely. How do commas and appositives work when youre trying to indicate possession. 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. Question about comma placement in the following sentence: He paused and in the stillness of the moment his countenance glowed brightly.. Without a comma, the name becomes part of the descriptor, necessary to fully restrict the set of possible referents. His father, Mr. Hatchet, was also a very tall man. In these cases, the dependent noun clause acting in apposition to the subject or object noun would be set off by commas: The problem [subject], that you did not pick up the packages [appositive renaming the subject], delays the entire production schedule. Over the 10+ years of writing this business writing blog, I've been consistent about virtually all my style, punctuation, and grammar choices. See our post Capitalization of Job Titles for more information. "Such and such walked into a bar" jokes are very popular in the UK, and this very simple one will help you remember how to employ the passive voice and how it differs from the active voice. Shadam will be married in her mother, Sarahs gold wedding band. 7.Excuse me, Tamera, for bumping into you. There are many ways you might frame your sentenceWhen one reads , When people read , When I read but your sentence is grammatically correct. ), 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. The rule states, When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, dont use commas. What does "you better" mean in this context of conversation? "Dear" isn't the same as "hi." Dear is a modifier, and you don't use a comma to separate modifiers from the things they modify "lazy, cat." They work as a unit: "lazy cat." Second, a comma after Dear John makes more sense than a comma after Hi, June. 2) There was a call about a man whos sick, named Paul. Suggestions: I had two siblings: one named Jim and one Mary. Therefore no comma is required there; however, if Shadam only has one father, the word Richard is not essential to her father. Defining relative clauses give us essential information - information that tells us who or what we are talking about. Usually I would view a film title as essential information, but based on your rules I cant quite tell if the information that comes before the film titles the appositives are proper identifiers. A compound sentence comprises two independent clauses. Are the following punctuated correctly? As we indicate in Rule 2 of Dashes, dashes can replace otherwise mandatory punctuation. There is no new rule of not using a comma in a series before and. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Gone with the Wind now a movie classic will be on television tonight. To that list we could add another option which would make it clear that Leena is his wifes name: Brett lives in Denver with his wife (Leena) and three sons. Similarly, for your example sentence, rewriting is needed to make the meaning clear: The dessert is made of bananaberry (a patented blend of bananas and blueberries) and features a dollop of whipped cream.. When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. But I still have a question. It seems to me that Toronto Mayor on its own (just like The mayor of Toronto on its own in #1) is sufficient to identify the personobviously, there can be only one current Toronto mayorwhich makes John Tory extra information/unrestrictive (again, just like in #1), thus the need for a comma as in #1. Where do you think the comma belongs? Its neither. : We asked Executive Director, John Smith, his opinion). Im sorry; this explanation could have been clearer. Explanation: My friend is not a precise identifier because one may have numerous friends. (me: In the above example, the that-clause [noun clause, not relative clause] modifies [or complements] an adjective, not a noun, so Im not sure what is going on here. (Basically Dog-people), How is Fuel needed to be consumed calculated when MTOM and Actual Mass is known. If you pay attention to little things like punctuation marks, you'll notice that writers are split on this one. Or, you could remove any doubts by rewriting the sentence as, Shadam will be married in the gold wedding band of her mother, Sarah. When we mean that an individual has more than one sisters, we place the comma this way: Her sister Emily could sing very well. Rule 4: Do not use commas to set off essential elements of the sentence, such as clauses beginning with that (relative clauses). Where should the commas be in the following sentences, and why? I found out from my friend, Tom. To me, the quotation marks are part of the appositive and the commas should fully enclose the appositive. There are a number of ways you could write it. Relative clauses give us information about the person or thing mentioned. Since Leena is not essential to the meaning of his wife, use commas around the appositive. How we determine type of filter with pole(s), zero(s)? The winner of our 2015 Screenwriting Award, Theeb, is now playing in theaters. How about when we have a possessive noun following the appositive? Hello. 1. @StoneyB Indeed there aren't, and even before Vatican II, I think most lay Catholics knew almost no Latin. Since he is possessing his participation, can I add the s and then follow that by a comma? Thus, option C is correct. In rugby, a rough sport, many players are injured. If you want a cupcake you must first finish your dinner. Give a thief enough rope and he'll hang himself. B. In the short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe explores the physical manifestation of guilt. If you put in those commas, then "John" becomes a separate noun phrase. The lion tiger and zebra are my favorite animals at the zoo. Card trick: guessing the suit if you see the remaining three cards (important is that you can't move or turn the cards), Removing unreal/gift co-authors previously added because of academic bullying, Indefinite article before noun starting with "the", How to make chocolate safe for Keidran? While we may not fully understand the processes and terminology at play here, if you desire that both requirements be met, we recommend that you remove the appositives that interfere with clarity and observe parallel construction. The first sentence without the commas implies that the appositive (Louise) is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to (sister). A subreddit for questions and discussions about grammar, language, style, conventions[,] and punctuation. (Basically Dog-people), Looking to protect enchantment in Mono Black, is this blue one called 'threshold? I had two siblings: Jim and Mary. How can we cool a computer connected on top of or within a human brain? If I read the rule above correctly however, then there should be commas. Question 10. If there are other winners of this award, you cannot describe Theeb as the winner. This might work: Theeb, a past winner of our Screenwriting Award, is now playing in theaters. Salman Rushdie is necessary to help identify Indian-British author. Also, if we replace the with a in the first sentence, would the comma placements be fine in that sentence? I saw this sentence on a blog discussing conjunctive adverbs.They left out the comma before the conjunction so. Select the appositive phrase that should be offset by two commas in the above sentence. You can use semicolons to separate units of a series when one or more of the units contain commas. But I still have a question. Also remember to use words carefully. These are the flights that have been cancelled. Remove the comma after their names? Explanation: Julie Minsky is necessary to help identify CEO, so no commas are used. We recommend avoiding the double possessive. Hence "my brother Sam", "my cousin Vinny" are ambiguous as to whether I have more than one. The Comma Johanneum and Cyprian. Exercise 2: Put commas in the text. How would you punctuate the following book dedication? Please help. Here are some erroneous uses of punctuation with appositives: Whether this sentence is correct or not, actually, depends on specific knowledge: Does the writer have more than one sister? The dependent phrase preceding it must be followed by a comma. Thanks for your efforts. Is it necessary to put a comma to avoid confusion, or is it better as is? When are appositives separated by commas? We read the book Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. A rule that depends on how many dogs you have, or similar context should be treated as a guideline at best. You use an opens in a new window apostrophe plus an "s" on the end of "Squiggly.". Its headquarters is located in the capital Rabat, precisely in Madinat Al Irfane. Therefore, its fine to bend the rule in this case. Regarding comma usage, the sentence is incorrect. 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.. In addition, since it is not a complete sentence, we see no reason to end in a period. If I were to write Brett lives in Denver with his wife Leena and three sons. should I use commas around Leena? Your sentence begins with the dependent phrase An above-average student and talented musician. If I dont get this assignment back tonight, I will not be able to play in my lacrosse game tomorrow, and, understandably, I have been looking forward to it. From the context we assume that Helen was the subjects wife at the time of her death. 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. Im so confused because of it. Brett lives in Denver with his wife, three sons, and his cousin Leena. (, number 13579,). (1) Our Senators, Jorge Torres, first bill was for tax reductions. Unless Brett is a polygamist, the term his wife is a precise identifier. Football the greatest sport ever invented is played during the fall months. Q. Harold is an excellent singer and he can dance all of the latest dance moves. A phrase that people use when they're not actually your friend. Thanks in advanced! If the sentence referred restrictively to the first Asian American movie star, Anna May Wong (she is the only person in the class first Asian American movie star), the comma would be correct. English Language Learners Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for speakers of other languages learning English. Or the first has gone through the processes, and only the second must be applied for prior to adoption, to then be continued without obtaining an allocation. My grammar is admittedly very weak, but everyone tells me that the document this comes from is well written. 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. Andrews, the dead man, parents were fighting a custody battle. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The title of the cookbook is an essential appositive. In 1988, Indian-British author Salman Rushdie published a book called The Satanic Verses, which seemed to be a satire taunting modern Islam. Some use it on occasion. However, if have only one sister, then the comma should be there. Lets take your two sentences separately. Or should it be as follows? 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. John and I waited for ages for my friend to turn up. Therefore, the ex-wifes name is essential: David had come to the after-party with his ex-wife Lily. Your comment demonstrates how its possible to follow all the rules perfectly yet the exact meaning of the sentence is still unclear. Why is water leaking from this hole under the sink? Therefore, one should write, Defendant John Ford Companys Motion to Dismiss., Copyright 2007 - 2023 Daily Writing Tips . Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. We are going to eat, talk, and watch a movie. The flow and syntax of I still grieve my dear wife Helens death sounds natural to the ear. 11. Do I need to add another comma before the names of my family members? My Friend John NLP language technique is useful as: In each case your listeners will unconsciously make links between what you are saying and their own situation. If you can't tell if a sentence contains two people or three, then you can safely assume that other people also won't be sure, and may misunderstand you. In the fall, students will need to read Born in Fire, by Nora Roberts, in order to get English credit. First of all, I would like to thank you for this wonderful explanation. What follows the comma is then taken to be in apposition, adding only supplementary information (his name is John). My dog, a toy fox terrier, is well-behaved. Explanation: Julie Minsky is a precise identifier so the appositive is surrounded by commas. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Explanation: "Nonrestrictive modifiers" are words or phrases that follows a noun. Thank you! @Apollyon Very good observation. The crowd was being seated for the performance artists newest show Say No More.. If not, this sisters name should be set off by commas, and a clarifying modifier like older (unless there are two or more sisters of greater age) preceding her name would be helpful. In a sentence which has three nouns as its subjectwhich could be regarded as having one noun as the subject along with two other nouns in apposition to the first nounis there a comma after the third noun? (If It Is At All Possible), Error Sql (1064) creating a function in MariaDB. The scarf, given to Shadam by her father, Richard, will also be used. I had always thought that, since Leena is Bretts only wife, there would be no comma. @thumbtackthief why is it wrong? Deed from John and wife, Jane, to Bob. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. ), the word Sarah is not essential to her mother, therefore use commas around the appositive. Support FilmCow on Patreon! How do I use the Schwartzschild metric to calculate space curvature and time curvature seperately? 1) There was a call about a man whos sick named Paul. 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, Lets eat, Grandma! versus Lets eat Grandma!. My cousin, Chris, is a genius when it comes to math. You could add your brothers name. In that case there are three people involved, of whom only two went shopping. Tags: Question 7. Pop Quiz This is an error that has unfortunately spread virally (ex. What else could a senator be? Applying my understanding of the rule, I do have a question about the statement that [t]he phrase the performance artists show Say No More, however, includes no qualifiers and therefore requires no comma. Answer: Yes, you need to use a comma between the person's name and the greeting. A friend posted this quote from Mike Pence, Donald Trumps running mate: Our choice has never been more clear. When the noun preceding the appositive provides sufficient identification on its own, use commas around the appositive. The comma used before the conjunction in a list of three or more items is called a serial comma. Rule: When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, dont use commas. The crux of the sentence is John made his family proud. That sentence can stand on its own. Reading age. 9. It would seem without the comma after blueberries, the whipped cream could be considered part of the patented blend (albeit in a poorly worded sentence,) which is not accurate. Its supposed to to have an illustrative mistake, but it doesnt have the mistake, so its a mistake. Feedback would be appreciated. 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. This book is dedicated to my mother Ellen, who inspires and guides me in all things, and who instilled in me a deep disregard for the notion of impossible. The woman who lives next door works in a bank. Unless this is a special case, your sentence requires no commas. @GentlePurpleRain Yes, here it would be more ambiguous and complicated, and depends on whether the speaker expects their audience to know who their oldest friend is. Which one? So 'John' is essential to understanding your meaning. costs anywhere from ten thousand dollars to thirty-five thousand dollars, which does not include doctors fees, which can be thousands of dollars more, and this is sometimes with insurance included. We will make the change to this grammar tip. 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. Place commas wherever they are needed in the following sentences. Example: Harvey, my friend, loves animals. 3. rev2023.1.17.43168. I will refer back to this post when I use appositives. answer choices. Please have a look at these two examples (the source of which is me): This is really a case of restrictive/non-restrictive phrases. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Therefore, Paul has only one sister. A. 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. We can either elect my running matea bold truth-telleror the most dishonest candidate in history.. I can think of two ways it could go: Deed from John and wife Jane to Bob. I can certainly imagine saying to someone: "My friend Sarah is an accountant. Your last sentence is correct. If I were to reverse the sentence, I know this would be the proper way to write it: Brooklyn, our highly acclaimed Opening Night film, is receiving major Oscar buzzbut I tend to need to put the title in the middle of the sentence, rather than at the beginning, hence the confusion.