Do I need the comma in "it is in short...everthing"?

Question

The intended meaning is that 'it', described simply, is 'everything'.

Would I write:

It is in short...everything.

Or:

It is, in short...everthing.

Instinctively, I believe that a comma is needed before "in short".

But the confusion arises here:

Is it a common enough phrase that the comma is not needed? Is it a publisher's preference situation? Author's preference? I've seen the phrase 'in short' both with and without commas. Normally two commas are used, as it's a parenthetical, but the ellipsis makes the second one unnecessary.

I agree, the comma followed by an ellipsis is a strange encounter. Why not just opt for the commas and ditch the ellipsis? It is, in short, everything. — TimR, Sep 25 '23 at 21:15
Is this dialog/speech — where the ellipsis indicates a wait-for-it punchline? If not, try: It is, in short, everything. — Tinfoil Hat, Sep 26 '23 at 02:09
For everyone asking, "it is everything" is just a modish way of saying something is really great. — Casey, Sep 26 '23 at 06:36
Does this answer your question? Which (if any) is the grammatically correct form of this sentence? Short parentheticals are not barred from taking zero offsetting punctuation; the introductory comma (before 'in') is a style choice here. Do you want to cue for a short pause? I would do. // The end punctuation (after 'short') being different is unusual, but I'd agree warranted here. Punctuation is here to serve; unusual choices should be avoided where they might confuse, but ... — Edwin Ashworth, Sep 26 '23 at 11:29
otherwise chosen purely so as to best reflect the spoken word as intended. Here, I'd want the short pause (signalled by a comma) then the long one (a dash or ellipsis). // See also Is in fact always set off by commas mid-sentence? for analysis of offsetting punctuation around short and especially fixed-phrase parentheticals. — Edwin Ashworth, Sep 26 '23 at 11:34

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 26 '23 at 05:36

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It's such a clumsy sentence - more pauses than actual words. I'd opt for "In short it is everything." and ditch all the fussy extras, but that's just me. I learned to write for newspapers so I always look for a short, sharp sentence structure where possible. Best of luck!

answered Sep 26 '23 at 05:36

Gristle

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Hello, Gristle. Possibly sound advice, but as it doesn't directly answer the actual question, more suitable as a 'comment'. – Edwin Ashworth Sep 26 '23 at 11:40

Do I need the comma in "it is in short...everthing"?

1 Answers1