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01-27-2006, 12:18 AM
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#1
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Scribe
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 54
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parentheses ?
Which instance would be accurate and how is the comma used when I have parentheses, yet I still have to use a comma to separate words.
John is a big helper, (friend and boss).
Yet, if the info in the parentheses can be omitted, then this wouldn't be right:
John is a big helper,.
And in this case:
John is a big helper (friend and boss).
isn't there supposed to be comma, between helper and boss?
This:
John is a big helper (,friend and boss).
is impossible, right?
Thanks.
__________________
All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.
--Aristotle
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01-27-2006, 10:11 AM
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#2
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Addict
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Boston, MA
Gender: Male
Posts: 188
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Hi, j. I don't understand what you want to use the parentheses for. So I'll give you a few options.
John is a big helper, friend, and boss.
or
John is a big helper, friend and boss.
John is three things: a big helper, a big friend, and a big boss.
John is a big helper (friend and boss).
John is a big helper, where helper here means "friend and boss." Usually, you would set off the appositive "friend and boss" with commas, or you wouldn't set it off at all if it were very closely related to the noun it's explaining (as I did with "friend and boss" in this sentence). So, better would be:
John is a big helper, a friend and boss.
John is a big helper, (friend and boss).
"John is a big helper," I said to my friend and boss, although I don't know why I made him a paranthetical expression. Better would be:
John is a big helper, Boss.
John is a big helper (,friend and boss).
Yuck!
One more thing: Much natural-language punctuation doesn't logically group with the words or phrases it's associated with. So just because the comma goes outside the parentheses doesn't mean you can remove the parenthetical expression and leave the comma! No, you remove the comma, too.
-TimK
Last edited by TimK : 01-27-2006 at 10:18 AM.
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01-27-2006, 10:33 AM
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#3
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Wordsmith
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: South-east UK
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,887
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by jmsx521
John is a big helper (friend and boss).
isn't there supposed to be comma, between helper and boss?
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No. And nor should there be between comma and between. |
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01-27-2006, 07:07 PM
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#4
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Wordsmith
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Back 'home' on Tinian!
Gender: Female
Posts: 11,445
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John is a big helper, (friend and boss).
...comma NEVER goes in front of parentheses...
hugs, maia
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"You must BE the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi
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01-28-2006, 01:53 PM
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#5
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Scribe
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 54
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Conclusion
The sentence was just an example; I wanted to find out what happens when two words needed to be separated by comma, yet there are parentheses involved.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by mammamaia
John is a big helper, (friend and boss).
...comma NEVER goes in front of parentheses...
hugs, maia
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So, that means that this:
John is a big helper, (friend and boss).
is not accurate, but this:
John is a big helper (friend and boss).
is accurate.
Thanks. |
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01-28-2006, 06:13 PM
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#6
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Wordsmith
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Back 'home' on Tinian!
Gender: Female
Posts: 11,445
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accurate as far as punctuation, yes... as for good writing, no... 
it doesn't really make any sense, but i'm assuming you're using it only as an example of parenthetical usage...
__________________
For 100% free writing help/mentoring:
www.saysmom.com
"You must BE the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi
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