Hoggirl Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I am not going to say who thinks what in this household as I do not want to unduly influence anyone! Here is the sentence: Suddenly a storm struck causing the prince to fall overboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daughterofsarah77 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 The way I learned it would be: Suddenly, a storm struck, causing the prince to fall overboard. But I couldn't tell you why!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIN Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Suddenly a storm struck causing the prince to fall overboard. I would write: Suddenly a storm struck, causing the prince to fall overboard. Not sure why either!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 The way I learned it would be: Suddenly, a storm struck, causing the prince to fall overboard. But I couldn't tell you why!!! :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 By the by, comma placement has to be one of the more idiosyncratic aspects of punctuation there is! If you can, get a hold of the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves. There are differences between the way "Americans" and "The British" do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Suddenly, a storm struck causing the prince to fall overboard. Why there is a comma after suddenly: Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause. Why there is no comma after struck: Don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (except for cases of extreme contrast). Rules from Purdue University Online Writing Lab #2 and #15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 Suddenly, a storm struck causing the prince to fall overboard. Why there is a comma after suddenly: Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause. Why there is no comma after struck: Don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (except for cases of extreme contrast). Rules from Purdue University Online Writing Lab #2 and #15. Can you please tell me the difference between dependent/independent clauses and restrictive/nonrestrictive clauses? Or are these just different names for the same thing? Would the answer be the same if the sentence were: Suddenly a storm struck which caused the prince to fall overboard. Would you still just place a comma after "suddenly?" Thanks. This is very helpful. I am sure it will be even more helpful in the a.m. when I am not sooooo sleepy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmomtutu Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Suddenly, a storm struck causing the prince to fall overboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Can you please tell me the difference between dependent/independent clauses and restrictive/nonrestrictive clauses? Or are these just different names for the same thing? Would the answer be the same if the sentence were: Suddenly a storm struck which caused the prince to fall overboard. Would you still just place a comma after "suddenly?" Thanks. This is very helpful. I am sure it will be even more helpful in the a.m. when I am not sooooo sleepy! A dependent clause is one that cannot stand on its own as a sentence. In the case of this sentence "caused the prince to to fall overboard" is a dependent clause because it can't be a sentence without adding something to it. An independent clause is one that can stand on its own as a sentence. If you changed the sentence to "Suddenly, a storm struck; the prince fell overboard." The clause after the ; is an independent clause. It can be a sentence all on its own as it has has both a subject and a predicate. You could just as easily write it as "Suddenly, a storm struck. The prince fell overboard." A restrictive clause is a clause that limits the possible meaning of the preceeding subject where a nonrestrictive clause provides nonessential information about the subject. For example: The prince who was on the boat fell overboard. The restrictive clause "who was on the boat" is not set off by commas and tells us that only the prince who was on the boat fell overboard. There may have been other princes but only the one who was on the boat fell. Now, if you offset it by commas, it becomes a nonrestrictive clause. The prince, who was on the boat, fell overboard. In this case, we know that the prince happened to be on the boat when he fell overboard but there may have been other princes on the boat at the time. In your example, I would still but the comma after suddenly as it is still an introductory clause. The comma isn't required unless leaving it out confuses the meaning of the sentence. The rule, though, is when in doubt add the comma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 By the by, comma placement has to be one of the more idiosyncratic aspects of punctuation there is! If you can, get a hold of the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves. There are differences between the way "Americans" and "The British" do it. Whew! I'm glad to hear that. I have noticed a difference and just thought I was wrong or lacking in knowledge. I have even tried to figure it out by putting commas in place and looking it over...only to change my mind and delete them. Thanks for the book suggestion! It will be my next buy. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I am not going to say who thinks what in this household as I do not want to unduly influence anyone! Here is the sentence: Suddenly a storm struck causing the prince to fall overboard. Is to minimise comma use: they are used when necessary for sense/ease of reading, rather than following a rule. I would write: Suddenly a storm struck, causing the prince to fall overboard. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 You can put a comma after suddenly, and you can put a comma after struck, but neither is absolutely required. So it is about how you would like to create the style of the sentence. Suddenly, a storm struck causing the prince to fall overboard. Suddenly a storm struck, causing the prince to fall overboard. Suddenly, a storm struck, causing the prince to fall overboard. Suddenly a storm struck causing the prince to fall overboard. These all have a slightly different message. When you say the sentence, do you pause at one of the places where a comma might go? If so, put a comma there, as that is what you intended the sentence to mean. Personally I would put one comma in, so either the first or second in the list above would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 My ds wants to put a comma after struck. I wanted no commas at all. Neither of us had considered putting one after "suddenly." It doesn't appear that there is a clear answer, but this has been enlightening nevertheless!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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