Comma Before "Ready"?
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Comma Before "Ready"?
Is a comma mandatory before 'ready' in the following sentence?
It was finally a "dream come true" when they bought their first catamaran ready to sail the Caribbean waters from South Africa.
I feel this is one continuous sentence and the comma is not only unnecessary but also an error. The statement from ready is not parenthetical and, thus, no need for the comma. What do you think about this?
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Hi,
If I’ve read this sentence correctly, it seems that “ready to sail the Caribbean waters from South Africa” is an infinitive phrase functioning as an adjective. The question is what is the adjective modifying: the catamaran or the people?
If it is referring to the catamaran, no comma is needed.
If it is referring to the people, a comma is needed to clarify it is “they” who are ready to sail.
Point 8 in this link is a great discussion on when to use a comma with free modifiers: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writ ... ommas.html
Here is a link on infinitives:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writ ... tives.html
Did I parse your sentence correctly? Does this explanation fit?
Rosa Parks
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