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When to use a comma in a sentence.

  • 11-07-2003 10:01pm
    #1
    BraveSirAndrew
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭


    Firstly, excuse this analy retentive question, but I am having an argument with a few friends of mine over the use of commas in sentences, and we need to get an answer from someone in the know before bloodshed occurs. The sentence which caused all the problems is
    '"it", is a sentence'.
    I say that it is wrong to use the comma after the it, cus it makes no sense, and the lads say its right. Anyone know what the jazz is?


Comments

  • #2
    D-Generate
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,945 ✭✭✭D-Generate


    Try saying it and it sounds all wrong.

    It {pause} is a sentance

    should sound fluently

    It is a sentance.


  • #3
    BraveSirAndrew
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭BraveSirAndrew


    Woohoo, thats one for me. God, this is probably the most petty thing I've ever done. So, anyone else on my side?


  • #4
    Talliesin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,314 ✭✭✭Talliesin


    If the entire sentence is "It is a sentence." Then all a comma can do is to break the clause unnaturally. This could have some value in indicating a character's difficulties in speaking (if they were out of breath, or in shock) but that is really a dilberate bending of the rules of grammar for effect.

    If the four words are part of a larger sentence then it may be appropriate to place a comma there, but we'd need to know that larger sentence to be able to judge this.


  • #5
    Talliesin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,314 ✭✭✭Talliesin


    Ooops. I didn't notice the quotes around "it".
    "It", is a sentence.

    Then two rules come into play. Firstly you want to signify the pause between the part of the sentence that is a citation or quote and the part spoken as a "normal" statement. A comma would serve that rôle.

    Secondly "It" is being used as a one-word sentence. In this case comma's are used to seperate one-word sentences from following sentences which elaborate on them. The most common examples of this are the use of "Yes" or "No" in:

    "Yes, I did that. No, it didn't work."

    In this case it is a bit tricky to say whether the use of it is quite along those lines (this is a bit like the problems that come from higher-order logic). I'd say a comma probably shouldn't be used by that criteria, but I'm not sure.

    Anyway, because of the quotes, I'd use a comma.


  • #6
    Stark
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,042 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    I'm sorry but "It", is a sentence fragment :p

    I think the comma should be left out by the way:

    "It" is a sentence seems to be correct.

    eg:

    A ball is a thing as opposed to A ball, is a thing


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  • #7
    Talliesin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,314 ✭✭✭Talliesin


    Originally posted by k.oriordan
    I'm sorry but "It", is a sentence fragment :p
    And is being deliberately used as such (although in a claim which argues it is a full sentence). How else can we talk about sentence fragments?
    "It" is a sentence seems to be correct.
    Too hard to distinguish it from "It is a sentence" I think.


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