Md.Belal Hossain wrote:Sometimes a single comma will serve dual purposes.
The army cutworm moth is a critical source of fat for as many as a third of Yellowstone National Park's grizzly bears, which overturn rocks to find the insects, as many as 40,000 per bear in a single day.
Here, the second comma serves dual purposes:
1. In conjunction with the first comma, it encloses the preceding which-modifier in red, an indication that this which-modifier is nonessential.
2. It indicates that the following green modifier also is nonessential, as in the following sentence:
The bears overturn rocks to find the insects, as many as 40,000 per bear in a single day.
Sir,
Thank you for such a clear explanation.
I think Rule 02 is applicable in this question and Rule 01 will make the sentence illogical.
is my reasoning right?
If so, can we say that the second comma is used
either to complete the non-essential modifier
or to show that next portion (after comma )
is the modifier of the portion located before comma.
In the OA, the core of the sentence is as follows:
The moth is a critical source of fat for grizzly bears.
If we want to end this sentence with a nonessential modifier, only one comma is required, as follows:
The moth is a critical source of fat for grizzly bears, which overturn rocks to find the insects.
If we want to extend the sentence beyond the nonessential modifier, then a second comma is required, as in the following case:
The moth is a critical source of fat for grizzly bears, which overturn rocks to find the insects, and for many other animals.
Thus, in the OA, one purpose of the second comma is to enclose the nonessential
which-modifier.
Another question: in rule 02, ",as many as 40,000 per bear in a single day" is not enclosed by second comma. How this portion can be a nonessential modifier witithout a second comma. Please explain whether it is possible to make a nonessential modifier witithout a second comma.
Thank you sir.
Bears overturn rocks to find the insects, as many as 40,000 per bear in a single day.
Here, the modifier is green is nonessential and ends the sentence.
For this reason, only one comma is required, as per the discussion above.
OA:
The army cutworm moth is a critical source of fat for as many as a third of Yellowstone National Park's grizzly bears, which overturn rocks to find the insects, as many as 40,000 per bear in a single day.
Here, the second comma is required for two reasons:
Because the sentence extends beyond the nonessential
which-modifier in red, a second comma is required to enclose the nonessential
which-modifier.
The
as-modifier in green is nonessential and thus must be preceded by a comma.
Thus, the second comma serves dual purposes.
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