 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsEnglish UsageBritish EnglishESL Teaching Learnglish.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004A punctuation question
Hi there. I'm reading a novel at the moment, and there is a sentence that bothers me. The sentence in question: "What had happened since they arrived that would bother him, her mystic friend who tapped into the universal forces around him?" I'm trying to get to grips with punctuation. From what I have understood, should that comma not be a semi-colon? To me, that looks like two full sentences and in this case it should be linked by a semi-colon? Help :) I hope it is an error in the novel, but I'm sure that I'm missing something in my understanding of what makes a sentance or in punctuation :) Thanks in advance. Best Regards, Martin -- "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to ." - Princess Bride. In alt.english.usage on Tue, 6 Jan 2004 16:57:47 -0000 "Necromantic Hussy - de los tejones" <necromantic_Hussey@yahoo.com> posted: >Hi there. > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >should that comma not be a semi-colon? To me, that looks like two full >sentences and in this case it should be linked by a semi-colon? Help :) Well the second part is not a full sentence. I can't tell if the first part is a question or intended to be a clause. Either way, I can't tell what it means. >I hope it is an error in the novel, but I'm sure that I'm missing something >in my understanding of what makes a sentance or in punctuation :) [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Best Regards, >Martin s/ meirman If you are emailing me please say if you are posting the same response. Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years Indianapolis, 7 years Chicago, 6 years Brooklyn NY 12 years Baltimore 20 years > In alt.english.usage on Tue, 6 Jan 2004 16:57:47 -0000 "Necromantic > Hussy - de los tejones" <necromantic_Hussey@yahoo.com> posted:> > > > >Hi there. Hello, yourself. Is it "Hussy" or "Hussey"? > >I'm reading a novel at the moment, and there is a sentence that bothers me. > >The sentence in question: "What had happened since they arrived that would [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Well the second part is not a full sentence. Very true. It's a long appositive. It describes "him." It is properly set off with a comma. All good dictionaries define "appositive." > I can't tell if the first part is a question or intended to be a > clause. The part preceding the comma is an independent clause structured as a question. Most direct questions are independent clauses. (Questions in indirect discourse are usually dependent clauses.) The example we're discussing is a direct question that includes a long appositive as tail. It's a clause, of course. The sentence says that the speaker had a mystic friend who tapped (etc.). Something had happened after some people arrived that bothered this friend (the sentence doesn't make clear who did the arriving). The speaker wanted to know what had happened to bother this friend. > Either way, I can't tell what it means. > > >I hope it is an error in the novel, but I'm sure that I'm missing something > >in my understanding of what makes a sentance or in punctuation :) Your problem is that the long appositive throws the sentence out of balance and makes it hard to follow. But there's nothing wrong with the syntax or the punctuation.  SignatureBob Lieblich Or with me (I hope) >> In alt.english.usage on Tue, 6 Jan 2004 16:57:47 -0000 "Necromantic >> Hussy - de los tejones" <necromantic_Hussey@yahoo.com> posted:> [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] >balance and makes it hard to follow. But there's nothing wrong with >the syntax or the punctuation. Bob's quite right. But whoever wrote that sentence is a lousy writer, and I'll still say that if you tell me it was some famous author. Carter Jefferson carterj98@mindspring.com http://carterj.homestead.com/ > >> In alt.english.usage on Tue, 6 Jan 2004 16:57:47 -0000 "Necromantic > >> Hussy - de los tejones" <necromantic_Hussey@yahoo.com> posted:> [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > carterj98@mindspring.com > http://carterj.homestead.com/ A red heart of memories by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. Why do you say she is a lousy writer? Curious :) Regards, Martin >> >> In alt.english.usage on Tue, 6 Jan 2004 16:57:47 -0000 "Necromantic >> >> Hussy - de los tejones" <necromantic_Hussey@yahoo.com> posted:> [quoted text clipped - 63 lines] >Regards, >Martin The sentence in question: "What had happened since they arrived that would bother him, her mystic friend who tapped into the universal forces around him?" This sentence is just plain awkward. It's not ungrammatical, but it has no rhythm. The reader is out of breath by the time she gets to the end, It also is hard to read, in the sense that the reader must think about it to see what the writer is trying to say. In writer's jargon, it "jars" the reader. I was probably a little hard on her--most writers slip now and then and commit something like this, and maybe this is just one of those things. I hope so. Carter Carter Jefferson carterj98@mindspring.com http://carterj.homestead.com/ |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2012 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.