Dear Eugene,
Many thanks for your bit o' fun.
Although it is true that an introductory passage may be separated
from what follows by a comma, it would be incorrect to use a comma
after "passage", as you suggest for a sentence in my last e-mail,
since "Throughout that passage" is not an introductory passage, but
an integral part of what follows. If I had written the words in a
different order, for example, "There is a distinct absence of commas
throughout that passage", you would, I think, be less inclined to
precede "throughout that passage" with a comma, since those words
would clearly belong to the main part of the sentence. It was
necessary to order the words as I did, beginning my sentence with
"Throughout that passage", because the following subordinate clause
("which are used ...") refers back to "comma", not to "passage". In
other words, I don't want another comma. :-)
You mention Strunk and White. There are many such authorities
regarding the English language, and they almost invariably disagree
with each other somewhere along the line. The English language
remains wonderfully flexible, however much grammarians try to
straight-jacket the way we speak and write.
Best wishes,
Stewart.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eugene C. Braig IV" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Lute Net" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2004 2:28 PM
Subject: Re: Vihuela vs guitar
> >3) Throughout that passage there is a distinct absence of commas,
> >which are used to separate subordinate clauses from the rest of
the
> >sentence.
>
> Commas are also used to separate introductory phrases. As
"Throughout that
> passage" is an introductory phrase preceding the main clause of
the
> sentence, it should also be separated by a comma.
>
>
> >I'm sorry to be somewhat abrasive, but you did say you preferred
to
> >be corrected.
>
>
> I am not remotely abrasive, only having a bit o' fun. I think
most of us
> are better editors than writers. I know I am. (I'm also a better
editor
> than I am a musician.)
>
> When in doubt, I consult:
>
> Strunk, W. Jr. & E.B. White. 1979. The Elements of Style, 3rd ed.
Macmillan
> Publishing Co., Inc., New York.
>
> In a gently ribbing spirit,
> Eugene
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