Commas are difficult creatures. A variety of the time, whether or not you utilize them or not relies on how vital the next data is.
So, if the data you present is important to the meaning of the sentence, you then shouldn’t use a comma.
As an illustration, when speaking about your oldest brother, you must say, “My brother John is …” The rationale the phrase “John” is vital is that it specifies which brother you might be speaking about.
Alternatively, if the data might be omitted from the sentence with out affecting the general meaning, then you must put a comma earlier than it.
Within the above instance involving your oldest brother, you might say, “My oldest brother, John, …”
Within the latter instance, you’ve already specified which brother you might be speaking about while you mentioned that they have been the oldest.
Ergo, the phrase “John” doesn’t add something new to the sentence, which is why you must encompass it with commas.
One other instance of how parenthetical data must be marked off with commas might be seen with the preposition “together with.”
Does “together with” want a comma earlier than it”?
As you might have already got guessed, whether or not the preposition “together with” takes a comma earlier than it relies on the significance of the data it presents. Mandatory data will not be separated from the remainder of the sentence, whereas parenthetical data might take a comma earlier than it. The phrase “alongside” can be used as an adverb, during which case it hardly ever wants a comma earlier than it.
Utilizing commas with “together with”
As we mentioned earlier, when it comes to “together with,” using commas relies on whether or not the following data is critical to perceive the sentence or not.
A technique to decide whether or not the data is critical for the sentence is to take away it and see if the sentence nonetheless is smart with out it.
If the sentence nonetheless delivers the identical meaning, then the data wasn’t mandatory.
I gave her, together with the remainder of the workforce, a bit of my thoughts.
Within the above sentence, should you have been to take away “together with the remainder of the workforce,” the sentence would nonetheless make sense.
Ergo, you could have the choice of setting off this prepositional phrase or not with commas, however you might be normally suggested to accomplish that in lengthy sentences. It provides the reader an opportunity to breathe.
I can’t go together with your plan.
Right here, “alongside along with your plan” is critical for understanding the sentence. In case you take away it, you alter the complete meaning. Ergo, you’ll be able to’t set it off with commas.
A phrase on utilizing “together with”
Before we transfer on, there may be an vital mistake we must always take a look at, one which a number of writers might unwittingly fall into.
“Together with” doesn’t operate as a coordinating conjunction. Which means that while you use it together with one other noun, you continue to ought to use the singular kind.
The girl and her firm know how to construct good merchandise.
The girl alongside together with her firm is aware of how to construct good merchandise.
Whereas the primary sentence takes the plural kind “know,” the latter sentence takes the singular “is aware of.”
The identical factor applies when utilizing “in addition to” and “in addition to” (see instance under).
I in addition to my brother am studying the guide from begin to end.
The totally different usages of “alongside” and how to punctuate them
In accordance to the MacMillan dictionary, “alongside” has a number of main makes use of.
”Alongside” as an adverb
When used as an adverb, “alongside” means arrive at a spot or go in the direction of it. It could actually additionally mean to convey somebody with you or take them wherever you’re going.
One of many issues to discover right here is that “alongside” the adverb hardly ever takes a noun after it.
When the automotive got here alongside, we felt elated.
You might need seen that there’s a comma after “alongside” within the above sentence.
Nonetheless, that comma has nothing to do with the phrase “alongside.” As an alternative, it used to demarcate the relative clause “when the automotive got here alongside” and separate it from the primary clause.
They’re headed to the park, and I feel I would come alongside.
The paramedics must be alongside in quarter-hour.
You forgot to convey your bag alongside, didn’t you?
Transfer alongside people. Nothing to see right here.
The punctuation surrounding “alongside” the adverb
As you might have seen, one of these phrase doesn’t want any commas, and may a comma be used, it will likely be due to the sentence construction itself reasonably than one thing attributable to “alongside” the adverb.
”Alongside” as a preposition
There are two methods “alongside” can act as a preposition. On the one hand, it could possibly come by itself. However, it may be a part of the phrase “together with.”
We are going to take a look at each individually.
”Alongside” the lone preposition
When “alongside” is used as a preposition, it’s used to point out motion on or beside a line. In reality, “alongside” all the time evokes a way of linearity one way or the other.
Now, in distinction to “alongside” the adverb, “alongside” the preposition all the time wants a noun after it, making a prepositional phrase.
This prepositional phrase can come firstly, center, or finish of a sentence, and it could possibly acts as an adverbial phrase, modifying the verb in a sentence. That mentioned, it could possibly additionally act as an adjective phrase, modifying a noun.
We walked alongside the yellow brick street.
Right here, the prepositional phrase “alongside the yellow brick street” acts as an adverbial phrase that modifies the verb “walked.”
Alongside the seashore, you will discover a number of stunning pebbles.
Once more, “alongside the seashore” modifies the verb “discover,” telling us the place to look.
The bushes alongside the riverbank are blossoming.
Within the above sentence, “alongside the riverbank” is an adjective phrase that modifies the phrase “bushes” and specifies which bushes we’re speaking about.
There are some things we must always spotlight.
For starters, the noun of this prepositional phrase has to be plural. You may’t say, “the tree alongside the river.” Quite, in order for you to discuss a single tree, you’d say, “the tree by the river.”
The rationale for that is that “alongside” provides us an concept of each the relation of the bushes to the river and the relation of the bushes to one another.
Put otherwise, it paints an image of the bushes mendacity all on the identical line, the road that runs alongside the river financial institution.
The second factor to discover right here is that until you utilize linking verbs, the adjective phrase began by “together with” has to be adjoining to the noun it’s modifying.
Not like adverbial phrases, you don’t get numerous free alternative when it comes to inserting an adjective phrase inside a sentence.
Does “alongside” the lone preposition take a comma earlier than it?
Any such “alongside” begins a prepositional phrase that may act both as an adverbial phrase or an adjective phrase.
When behaving as an adverbial phrase, it’s topic to the identical guidelines that apply to all adverbial phrases.
Which means that if “alongside” comes on the finish of a sentence, you then don’t want any punctuation.
If it comes firstly of a sentence, then you will have punctuation after the prepositional phrase.
And, when the adverbial phrase comes in the course of the major clause, it’s set off on each side by a comma.
I walked alongside the primary street to faculty.
Since “alongside the primary street” comes after the primary clause, there is no such thing as a want for a comma earlier than it.
Moreover, there may be one other prepositional phrase that additionally acts as an adverbial phrase within the above sentence, the phrase “to faculty.”
Alongside the battle line, gunfire might be heard in every single place.
Seeing as “alongside the battle line” comes firstly of the above sentence, you must place a comma after it.
The boys, alongside the bridge, marched.
Even although the above sentence is grammatically right, it has so many different issues that I wouldn’t advocate utilizing this construction. To start with, it sounds unnatural and awkward.
Moreover, it’s simple to confuse the adverbial phrase “alongside the bridge” for an adjective phrase.
You see, with out the commas, the sentence would seem like this “The boys alongside the bridge marched”, and it could mean that the boys who have been on the bridge began to march.
They could have marched in any path and even stayed on the bridge. Nonetheless, with the commas, the meaning turns into that the boys marched over the bridge.
The previous provides us an concept of the place the boys have been, whereas the latter choice tells us the place they marched.
Conversely, when “alongside” begins an adjective phrase, there is no such thing as a want for a comma as a result of it will likely be adjoining to its noun.
The one exception is when there’s a linking verb and the sentence construction necessitates the utilization of a comma.
The books alongside the shelf have been helpful.
The books have been, surprisingly, alongside the shelf.
”Alongside” as a part of the double preposition “together with”
Let’s take a more in-depth take a look at “together with” now. This preposition is used to point out different issues or individuals who have been concerned in a specific motion or occasion.
I’d like to come together with you.
The person, alongside along with his spouse, was misplaced within the metropolis.
If I take this job, I’ll get the wage of working at a big company and all the advantages that go together with it.
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