0

I am sure that this is very simple, but apparently it is not for me. Hopefully someone can help.

i am proofing a book in CMOS. Often the writer extends a sentence by using a comma before a second clause without a subject:

The courts want to make sure that justice is done, and sometimes are disappointed by the slow pace of change. Is this correct? If so, why?

Thanks very much.

user405662
  • 8,423
Peter Gellatly
  • 1
  • 1
    Comma use or omission is a stylistic issue. You could keep it or drop it. But it's a standard practice to separate two independent clauses with a comma. So you may want to retain the comma. – user405662 May 24 '21 at 08:06
  • 2
    @user405662 Yes, though "sometimes are disappointed by the slow pace of change" is not an independent clause, but a verb phrase. – BillJ May 24 '21 at 08:12
  • 1
    @BillJ: Thank you. But we can say that the second independent clause is and [the courts/they] sometimes are..., can't we? I mean we can treat it as an elliptical construction. John Ross treats countless such examples as elliptical constructions, doesn't he? – user405662 May 24 '21 at 09:17
  • 1
    @user405662 That is precisely how I would understand the construction - there is ellipsis. The comma is useful as it indicates a slight pause, and this helps the reader. I don't think that it is absolutely essential. – Greybeard May 24 '21 at 09:24
  • 1
    @user405662 I wouldn't go along with that old stuff. To be an independent clause would require an overt subject, not an ellipted one. One reliable textbook gives this example "He [made a mistake] or [changed his mind]", where the bracketed elements are given as VPs, i.e. no ellipsis in the second coordinate. Note that 'gapping', as it's sometimes called does not apply to subjects, only to the middle part of a non-initial coordinate. – BillJ May 24 '21 at 09:46
  • @BillJ: Note that 'gapping', as it's sometimes called does not apply to subjects, only to the middle part of a non-initial coordinate. Thank you for this. I'll look it up further. – user405662 May 24 '21 at 10:38

0 Answers0