I was just wondering about the formation of a sentence. The comma can be a bit tricky with me sometimes, so I was just wondering if some of you grammar gods could tell me if a comma is needed for this sentence: You would be free of death, and I, of this crippling memory. or is it: You would be free of death, and I of this crippling memory.
Or You would be free, of death, and I of this crippling memory. Just a different emphasis. Edit: I voted for option 2
There's no grammatical basis for the second comma in number one that I'm aware of. "And I" isn't an aside, nor is it an independent clause. Two is correct.
Grammatically speaking, there's no comma needed at all. In the case, the second clause isn't an independent clause. However, given the option, I would pick the second one. It's OK to break the rules in creative writing, but make sure you understand why you're doing it and what effect it has.
A third for no comma. But if you really want to force a pause for stylistic reasons, definitely the second, for the reason @Spencer1990 gives. And now I'm questioning the commas in my own reply
This is a really good question. You picked the perfect sentence. And is a conjunction so technically you don't need one before or after it. I think I might put one after I. But you don't really need it. HOWEVER, I think the sentence is more attractive or inviting to the eye with a comma. So, my vote is no-tellin' - it's up to you. In the final analysis I think I'd do it this way:
I used to as well, but I've gone the other way - probably too much so that I leave them out when they should be there.
An Oxford comma is the last in a list. I want tea, milk, (oxford comma) and biscuits. As opposed to... I want tea, milk and biscuits.
Nope - that's the comma that separates the last two items in the list. No Oxford comma: I ate bananas, peaches and pears. Oxford comma: I ate bananas, peaches, and pears. DAMN YOU, SPENCER1990. And me, because now I want fruit salad and tea.
What I want to know is why biscuits and tea came to mind first. I'm American and hardly drink hot tea.
Don't you guys call them cookies anyway, and biscuits are some kind of savoury thing you eat with gravy?
Neither do us Brits. Don't let stereotyping sway you. Well, they may drink tea down south, but they're foreigners anyway so they don't count.
So you can see why I'm confused. To be fair, I didn't say Brits did drink a lot of hot tea, haha. Genuine question: Is hot tea no more common in the UK than it is in the US? Is that really just a huge stereotype?
Not huge. They do drink tea down there, but America seems to think the whole of England drinks nothing else. It's as big a stereotype as the bowler hats and briefcase get-up. Then again, America seems to think London IS the whole of England.
@Spencer1990 Depends on the household/individual in my experience. My two colleagues at work drink tea non-stop--literally, like the way some people chain smoke--but I can easily go months without a cup. Dunno what it's like up north. I don't go beyond Watford on principle.
I was never so disillusioned to think of England as only London. I'd like to think I'm better than that. I suppose I just thought it was a culture thing. Like varying degrees depending on where you go, but present nonetheless.
Northerners wouldn't understand you--they don't get electricity until 2019, so aren't used to US accents on TV.
