Читать книгу The Century Handbook of Writing - Garland Greever - Страница 28

18. Do not splice two independent statements by means of a comma. Write two sentences. Or, if the two statements together form a unit of thought, combine them (1) by a comma plus a conjunction, (2) by a semicolon, or (3) by reducing one of the statements to a phrase or a subordinate clause.

 Wrong: The town has two railroads, it was founded when oil was discovered.

 Right: The town has two railroads. It was founded when oil was discovered.

 Wrong: The speed of the car seemed slower than it really was, this was due, no doubt, to the absence of all noise. [Here are three commas. The reader cannot quickly discover which one marks the great division of thought.]

 Right: The speed of the car seemed slower than it really was. This was due, no doubt, to the absence of all noise.

 Wrong: The winters were long and cold, nothing could live without shelter.

 Right: The winters were long and cold. Nothing could live without shelter.

 Right: The winters were long and cold, and nothing could live without shelter [For the use of the comma, see 91a].

 Right: The winters were long and cold; nothing could live without shelter [For the use of the semicolon see 92].

 Right: The winters were so long and cold that nothing could live without shelter.

Exception.—Short coördinate clauses which are parallel in structure and leave a unified impression, may be joined by commas, even though the conjunctions be omitted.

 Right: All was excitement. The ducks quacked, the pigs squealed, the dogs barked. [The general idea excitement gives the three clauses a certain unity.]

Exercise:

1 The key is turned to the right, this unlocks the door.

2 The author keeps one guessing, there is no hint how the story will end.

3 The farmer is independent, he has no task-master.

4 There has been a change of government, in fact there has been a revolution.

5 Lamb had failed in poetry, in the drama, and in the novel, in the essay, at last, he succeeded.