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Blackstenius wrote: ↑06 Apr 2023, 07:10 1. He becomes angry and bitter, and two years after their divorce, Sean is yet to move on.

2.He becomes angry and bitter and, two years after their divorce, Sean is yet to move on.

Which among the two is correctly punctuated, and why?

MsH2k wrote: ↑06 Apr 2023, 12:21

Blackstenius wrote: ↑06 Apr 2023, 07:10 1. He becomes angry and bitter, and two years after their divorce, Sean is yet to move on.

2.He becomes angry and bitter and, two years after their divorce, Sean is yet to move on.

Which among the two is correctly punctuated, and why?

Hi,

Both sentences are technically correct.

In #1, the first comma is before the coordinating conjunction separating two independent clauses, and the second comma is after the adverbial phrase “two years after their divorce” that introduces the second independent clause.
https://www.grammarbook.com/blog/commas ... junctions/
https://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons ... uction.htm

The commas in #2 are a bit more nuanced. There is no comma before the coordinating conjunction, but some style guides do not require it, and OBC does not follow a particular style guide. The first reference above mentions this as well. In this sentence, the commas used indicate “two years after their divorce” is not an essential element and the meaning of the sentence would not change if the phrase were omitted. If this is the intent, the commas are fine.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writ ... ments.html

You didn’t ask :) , but I would recommend sticking with #1. The comma usage is more straightforward, and if this is part of a review, it may save you a recheck request.