[Grammar] help with commas usage

[HeartShape]

Hi,

I'm trying to understand the difference with and without commas

Here are two sentences.

1. The dancers, who were really young, went to the next round.
2. The dancers who were really young went to the next round.

Can someone explain the meanning with and without commas?

HeartShape

 

[GoesStation]

Sentence one says the dancers went to the second round; it also remarks that those dancers were really young. The dancers' age is a secondary point.

Sentence two says that all the really young dancers went to the second round. Their youth is a key piece of information.

 

[jutfrank]

The two sentences have different subjects. The commas help show this. If we ask the question Who?, then we can find the subjects:

Q: Who went to the next round?

A1: The dancers. [not the singers]
A2: The dancers who were really young. [not the other dancers]

 

[HeartShape]

The two sentences have different subjects. The commas help show this. If we ask the question Who?, then we can find the subjects:

Q: Who went to the next round?

A1: The dancers. [not the singers]
A2: The dancers who were really young. [not the other dancers]

Hi,

I have attached a screenshot of the answer given from the course material. I’m trying to establish clarity because the author says: All dancers went to the next round for sentence 1 but no mention of "who were really young" since it was included inbetween the commas?

What I'm trying to understand is: if the author says, "all dancers went to the next round" were they also all were really young?

HeartShape

 

[jutfrank]

Yes. The book is saying that in 1., all dancers in question were very young.

 

[HeartShape]

Yes. The book is saying that in 1., all dancers in question were very young.

Thank-you JutFrank, and everyone I feel so relieved.

 

[emsr2d2]

[STRIKE]Thank-you[/STRIKE] Thank you, Jutfrank (no comma here) and everyone. I feel so relieved.

Note my corrections above.

 

[HeartShape]

Note my corrections above.

Hi,

Can I also write that as: "Thank you, Jutfrank and everyone, I feel so relieved."?

 

[jutfrank]

Can I also write that as: "Thank you, Jutfrank and everyone, I feel so relieved."?

Write it as emsr2d2 suggested.

Can you hear how there are two things that you're saying? So use two sentences.

 

[HeartShape]

Write it as emsr2d2 suggested.

Can you hear how there are two things that you're saying? So use two sentences.

Yes. I hear, "Thank you, Jutfrank and everyone." that's one. Then the second one is, "Thank you, I feel so relieved."

Are these the two things?

Or do you mean:

1. "Thank you, Jutfrank and everyone." That's one complete sentence.
2. "I feel so relieved." That's also another complete sentence.

 

[emsr2d2]

1. "Thank you, Jutfrank and everyone." That's one complete sentence.
2. "I feel so relieved." That's also another complete sentence.

That's what we mean.

 

[HeartShape]

That's what we mean.

OK. I think I got it: so if there are two things being said in one sentence but it can be split into two separate sentences for clarity go for the two sentences to avoid confusion. Is that the best grammar rule to use for this instance?

 

[emsr2d2]

Google "comma splice".

 

[jutfrank]

OK. I think I got it: so if there are two things being said in one sentence but it can be split into two separate sentences for clarity go for the two sentences to avoid confusion. Is that the best grammar rule to use for this instance?

I say that's a good general rule to follow when you're writing, yes.

 

[HeartShape]

Hi,

Thanks for this. I didn't realize the grammar rule I broke had a name. I looked it up, and yes I now understand the mistake after learning about the correct usage.

I thought in writing style you could write a sentence like: "Thank you, Jutfrank and everyone, I feel so relieved.", so that the meaning could be interpreted in two ways as shown below.

"Thank you, Jutfrank and everyone." or "Thank you, I feel so relieved."

But I guess not because the original sentence breaks the gramma rule for comma splice, and I guess for clarity we must write to show one thing only.

By the way, while I was learning correct usage about comma splice, it mentions it's OK to break the comma splice rules if it’s for artistic forms of writing. Example, one can write to create a sense of grandeur in rhetoric:

I came, I saw, I conquered.

Does anyone have an opinion on that?

HeartShape

 

[jutfrank]

it's OK to break the comma splice rules if it’s for artistic forms of writing. Does anyone have an opinion on that?

Art both beyond and well within the limit of language lies

 

[HeartShape]

Semi-colons are just as effective, and are risk-free, in such situations..

Hi,

Just to be sure, do we write it as: "I came; I saw; I conquered."?

HeartShape

 

[HeartShape]

Many people write that particular expression with commas. Semi-colons are possible and, in general, advisable to avoid comma splices.

Yes I know that, but if I wanted to replace the commas with semi-colons is that the correct format?

 

[HeartShape]

It is one possible way.

Thanks. I will keep that in mind.

 

[HeartShape]

By the way, I want to bring this sentence up: "Thank you, I feel so relieved." that I wrote in this thread. My understanding of the compound hyphen should be used if the word comes before a noun, so the sentence should actually be: "Thank-you, I feel so relieved."

Is that correct the correct usage?