Quick grammar question about these commas
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- Marsha JJ
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Quick grammar question about these commas
(The first comma after "appreciated"):
1) The theme of close personal connection is one that I appreciated, since it’s increasingly rare to find it in today’s environment of digital overload and often superficial connections. - Unnecessary comma.
(The comma after "fishing"):
2) I found it interesting to learn how the women in the book approached the sport of fly fishing, since it is typically a male-dominated sport. - Unnecessary comma.
- MsH2k
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This is one of those ambiguous comma scenarios. Can you give an example (and link) of a grammar source that indicated the comma is required in these cases?
Rosa Parks
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Since I came, I've not eaten. (Comma required after the subordinate clause.)
I've not eaten since I came. (comma not required.)
He slept in the street, since he didn't have anywhere to sleep, and caught pneumonia. (Required before and after; it interrupts the sentence.)
However, the above case can be subjective because the phrase followed by "since" may as well be parenthetical.
She went to the restaurant to eat (since she was hungry).
The above can also be written as: "She went to the restaurant to eat, since she was hungry." Here, the comma has been used to mark the start of the parenthesis, and this overrides the previous statement that subordinate clauses don't require a comma before them, because the subordinate clause here is non-restrictive/parenthetical. (This is the same logic with the previous third instance since a subordinate clause in the middle of a sentence mostly qualifies as an added information.)
I've not consulted any sources though, so I can't prove this; I'm just saying what I'd been taught in high school.
- MsH2k
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As @The Holy Grail mentioned, there are instances when a comma may be acceptable in these cases. Here is a link that describes some of those times. https://style.mla.org/commas-with-because/Marsha JJ wrote: ↑30 Apr 2022, 15:19 Would you be so kind as to help me understand why the commas in each of these two sentences would be determined to be unnecessary? The grammar sources I checked indicate that they are required, so I am double checking with other grammar experts. Thanks for any advice.
(The first comma after "appreciated"):
1) The theme of close personal connection is one that I appreciated, since it’s increasingly rare to find it in today’s environment of digital overload and often superficial connections. - Unnecessary comma.
(The comma after "fishing"):
2) I found it interesting to learn how the women in the book approached the sport of fly fishing, since it is typically a male-dominated sport. - Unnecessary comma.
The question remains what grammar sources indicated the commas were required. If it was flagged by a grammar checker, that is not conclusive enough. Many times, grammar checkers are not reliable for comma usage because they do not detect the nuances of the writer. If you can support your usage with a reputable link, you can feel more confident about your comma placement and can even request a recheck with proper documentation.
Rosa Parks
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- Marsha JJ
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