a comma

English translation: Putting a comma there is a punctuation error

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:use of a comma
Selected answer:Putting a comma there is a punctuation error
Entered by: B D Finch

08:05 Oct 8, 2019
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Other / Punctuation
English term or phrase: a comma
The relative standard deviation for the retention times of isopropanol and dimethylformamide, should be no more than 2.0%.

Do I have to put a comma in this phrase? What's the general rule for?
Alexander Grabowski
Ukraine
Putting a comma there is a punctuation error
Explanation:
There definitely shouldn't be any comma there. However, Elena isn't quite right to say that 'The general rule is "no comma between subject and predicate".' You would have two commas between a subject and predicate if they were used to mark an intervening phrase, clause or conjunctive adverb.

The relative standard deviation for the retention times of isopropanol and dimethylformamide should be no more than 2.0%.

The relative standard deviation for the retention times of isopropanol and dimethylformamide, moreover, should be no more than 2.0%.

The relative standard deviation for the retention times of isopropanol and dimethylformamide, if there are no intervening variables, should be no more than 2.0%.
Selected response from:

B D Finch
France
Local time: 06:58
Grading comment
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +8Putting a comma there is a punctuation error
B D Finch
5 +4No need to use a comma
AJ Ablooglu
5 +2No comma needed
Anne Trager


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +4
No need to use a comma


Explanation:
I do not think so. No comma is necessary. It is one sentence in continuation.
When comma is used it breaks the meaning.
“While a period ends a sentence, a comma indicates a smaller break. Some writers think of a comma as a soft pause—a punctuation mark that separates words, clauses, or ideas within a sentence.”



    Reference: http://www.grammarly.com/blog/comma/
AJ Ablooglu
Türkiye
Local time: 01:58
Native speaker of: Native in TurkishTurkish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Emily Gilby
8 mins

agree  Erta Zykaj
34 mins

neutral  writeaway: It's not just unnecessary, it's incorrect.
57 mins

agree  Mark Robertson
1 hr

neutral  B D Finch: Not just unnecessary, it positively should not be there.
1 hr

disagree  Yvonne Gallagher: it's wrong
2 hrs

agree  Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
2 hrs

agree  Ashutosh Mitra
4 days
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
No comma needed


Explanation:
What precedes the verb is the subject of the sentence and you don’t put a comma between the subject and the verb.

Anne Trager
Local time: 01:58
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sheila Wilson: You must not put a comma there. As an English proofreader, I'd take it out every time.
36 mins

neutral  writeaway: It's more like unwanted/incorrect.
50 mins

agree  Mark Robertson
1 hr

neutral  B D Finch: Not just not needed, it is wrong to have a comma there.
1 hr

disagree  Yvonne Gallagher: it's wrong
2 hrs

agree  Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
2 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +8
Putting a comma there is a punctuation error


Explanation:
There definitely shouldn't be any comma there. However, Elena isn't quite right to say that 'The general rule is "no comma between subject and predicate".' You would have two commas between a subject and predicate if they were used to mark an intervening phrase, clause or conjunctive adverb.

The relative standard deviation for the retention times of isopropanol and dimethylformamide should be no more than 2.0%.

The relative standard deviation for the retention times of isopropanol and dimethylformamide, moreover, should be no more than 2.0%.

The relative standard deviation for the retention times of isopropanol and dimethylformamide, if there are no intervening variables, should be no more than 2.0%.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 06:58
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
Thank you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daryo
38 mins
  -> Thanks Daryo

agree  Yvonne Gallagher
40 mins
  -> Thanks Yvonne

agree  Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
59 mins
  -> Thanks Frank

agree  ael
1 hr
  -> Thanks

agree  Sarah Lewis-Morgan
3 hrs
  -> Thanks Sarah

agree  Armorel Young: Well said
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Amorel

agree  David Moore (X): You are right, it is wrongly punctuated. But do I detect an error in the absence of a space before the "%" sign? I do believe English calls for this.//No, I was half-right here; I use the ISO 31.0 rule, so I always use a space.
4 hrs
  -> Thanks David. No, there shouldn't be a space before the "%" sign; that's there in French, not English.// I just looked that up and it seems to have been withdrawn.

agree  jccantrell
6 hrs
  -> Thanks
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