Should There Be a Comma In This Sentence?

Chronoshock

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2004
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No comma, you put a comma before and if the and is joining two independent clauses, not noun phrases. With a series of nouns/noun phrases, you omit the comma for two items, and for three or more items the last separating comma is optional due to the and.
 

Asparagus

Senior member
Aug 16, 2001
284
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Originally posted by: TheoPetro
Originally posted by: aesthetics
Technically it doesn't matter. It should be read the same way.

Just depends on whether or not you want the reader to pause.

Yeah - this is the debate. I say that it is grammatically incorrect to have the comma there because the clause "and the service you deserve" is not a sentence by itself. But...there are those who argue that a comma's main purpose is to give the reader a pause. In this case, the pause would naturally go at the "and".
 

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
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Isn't that a sentence fragment, rendering the comma irrelevant?
:p


Edit: Dammit, I'm too late. That's what I get for loading lots of tabs, and then forgetting about the browser window for 10 minutes.

 

Asparagus

Senior member
Aug 16, 2001
284
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Originally posted by: hellokeith
It's not a sentence, so it doesn't even really need a period let alone a comma.

Not that the grammar check in Microsoft is of much value...but...when I type the entire sentence into MS Word it does not consider it as a sentence fragment.
 

Bill Brasky

Diamond Member
May 18, 2006
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Originally posted by: hellokeith
It's not a sentence, so it doesn't even really need a period let alone a comma.

First thing I thought of.

Have you planned for the wedding you have dreamed of and the service you deserve?

No comma imo
 

Born2bwire

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2005
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Originally posted by: Asparagus
Originally posted by: hellokeith
It's not a sentence, so it doesn't even really need a period let alone a comma.

Not that the grammar check in Microsoft is of much value...but...when I type the entire sentence into MS Word it does not consider it as a sentence fragment.

The service you deserve. I could see that it could be construed as a sentence by a grammatical program but it's pretty obvious that it is not a complete thought.
 

kalrith

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2005
6,628
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Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
comma.

read it aloud. would you want to pause between the two topics? you should.

Not all pauses require a comma. Anyways, as already mentioned, this is a sentence fragment. If this were the introduction to a sentence, then you'd just need a comma at the end of it but not one in the middle.
 

BeauJangles

Lifer
Aug 26, 2001
13,941
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Originally posted by: Asparagus
Originally posted by: hellokeith
It's not a sentence, so it doesn't even really need a period let alone a comma.

Not that the grammar check in Microsoft is of much value...but...when I type the entire sentence into MS Word it does not consider it as a sentence fragment.

Come on, you should have a basic enough grasp of grammar to be able to see what isn't a complete sentence with or without Microsoft telling you so.