Grammar help needed....

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Is the first comma in this sentence correctly placed or is it a typo? (it is in a book we are using for school work)

"May I play, after school, Mother?"

I am terrrible with commas but it just looks incorrect to me.

Thanks!

 

[Liberty Belle]

I don't think it belongs there. May I play after school, Mother? Looks correct to me.

 

[jazzielady]

I don't think it belongs there. May I play after school, Mother? Looks correct to me.

I agree!

 

[FergieTCat]

Is the first comma in this sentence correctly placed or is it a typo? (it is in a book we are using for school work)

"May I play, after school, Mother?"

I am terrrible with commas but it just looks incorrect to me.

Thanks!

I don't profess to have excellent command of grammar, but I think the first comma is redundant. You could easily write "May I play after school, Mother?" and still express the same sentiment.

 

[Christine]

I don't think it belongs there. May I play after school, Mother? Looks correct to me.

Agree.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Thank you very much! We'll consider it an error then. Thanks!

 

[sleepydog25]

A quick test in this case would be to rewrite the sentence this way: "Mother, may I play after school?" You wouldn't use a comma before "after school" in that case, either.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

I think the reason they have the extra commas is because the sentence could read like they will be playing "after school", not as when they will play, but perhaps a game called "after school". It is old school grammar, but I don't think it is incorrect. It just looks ridiculous.

 

[pogo791]

The sentence as originally written would make sense in one connection.

"May I play, after school, Mother?" could be understood to mean that the child wants to play in general. As an afterthought, s/he adds on that if s/he receives permission to play, this would happen after school.

Compare that to

"May I go see Toy Story 3, next Saturday, mother?" implies that the child wants to go see the movie, and is thinking that next Saturday would be a good time. That is a shade different from "May I go see Toy Story next Saturday, Mother?" where the child wants to know not only if s/he can go to the movies, but also whether Saturday would be OK.

However, I just can't see a child making that distinction. The child presumably wants to know if s/he can go play after school, and so the comma is indeed redundant.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

The sentence as originally written would make sense in one connection.

"May I play, after school, Mother?" could be understood to mean that the child wants to play in general. As an afterthought, s/he adds on that if s/he receives permission to play, this would happen after school.

Compare that to

"May I go see Toy Story 3, next Saturday, mother?" implies that the child wants to go see the movie, and is thinking that next Saturday would be a good time. That is a shade different from "May I go see Toy Story next Saturday, Mother?" where the child wants to know not only if s/he can go to the movies, but also whether Saturday would be OK.

However, I just can't see a child making that distinction. The child presumably wants to know if s/he can go play after school, and so the comma is indeed redundant.

But would you even need the comma even in that scenario? I think that you might hesitate in speech at that point, but that doesn't mean a comma would be correct...I don't think so, anyway! I tend to be comma-happy, but having it there just looks wrong to me somehow.

Where's the grammar police when you need them?

 

[pogo791]

But would you even need the comma even in that scenario? I think that you might hesitate in speech at that point, but that doesn't mean a comma would be correct...I don't think so, anyway! I tend to be comma-happy, but having it there just looks wrong to me somehow.

Where's the grammar police when you need them?

Perhaps another example would make my point clearer.

What if the child asked "May I get my ears pierced, next time we go to the mall, Mother?"

In that example, the focus is more on the action than on the time. The child wonders whether s/he will get permission at all, and just throws in that s/wasn't thinking about doing it immediately, but sometime later when (presumably) the mother recovers from the shock.

Or how about "May I drive down to Disneyworld by myself, Mother, next summer when I get my license?"

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Is the first comma in this sentence correctly placed or is it a typo? (it is in a book we are using for school work)

"May I play, after school, Mother?"

I am terrrible with commas but it just looks incorrect to me.

Thanks!

It's a typo.

"After school" is a prepositional phrase in the middle of the sentence. These phrases do NOT take commas. Generally, you only use commas to set off prepositional phrases when the prepositional phrase is used at the beginning of a sentence (and then it is customary to do so in those circumstances where the prepositional phrase is long or not using the comma would cause confusion).

I suspect that the sentence may have originally been written "After school, may I play, Mother?" This sentense is a tad awkward, but the comma usage would raise no eyebrows. The editor or author, realizing that the sentence could use a bit of word placement modification, made the swap; the commas were left behind like little breadcrumbs.

Yes, I taught writing back in the day. I highly recommend The Deluxe Transitive Vampire. A quick readthrough usually sets me back on the straight and narrow when I've become lax in my usage.

 

[Christine]

It's a typo.

"After school" is a prepositional phrase in the middle of the sentence. These phrases do NOT take commas. Generally, you only use commas to set off prepositional phrases when the prepositional phrase is used at the beginning of a sentence (and then it is customary to do so in those circumstances where the prepositional phrase is long or not using the comma would cause confusion).

I suspect that the sentence may have originally been written "After school, may I play, Mother?" This sentense is a tad awkward, but the comma usage would raise no eyebrows. The editor or author, realizing that the sentence could use a bit of word placement modification, made the swap; the commas were left behind like little breadcrumbs.

Yes, I taught writing back in the day. I highly recommend The Deluxe Transitive Vampire. A quick readthrough usually sets me back on the straight and narrow when I've become lax in my usage.

Thanks for that. I've been furiously trying to look up "commas with prepositional phrases."

"after school" is a prepositional phrase that is a modifier for the verb "play." It answers the question "How" or "When" for the rule of prepositional pharases. They are not offset by commas when modifying a verb.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Thanks for that. I've been furiously trying to look up "commas with prepositional phrases."

"after school" is a prepositional phrase that is a modifier for the verb "play." It answers the question "How" or "When" for the rule of prepositional pharases. They are not offset by commas when modifying a verb.

Welll. . .yes and no. If they modify the verb and are close to the verb, that is the case. If the adverb begins the sentence, you may use commas. Prepositional phrases function as adverbs and adjectives in our language; think of it that way. An adverb at the beginning of a sentence can take a comma if the user would like.

As much as some would like our language, our vocabulary and our grammar to be black and white or set in stone, it really isn't. (This is why I stay out grammar/usage/vocabulary rant threads!) The current stylistic choice is to leave the comma off unless the introductory adverb is a clause. (Adverbial clauses that begin a sentence must take a comma or risk readers not understanding the meaning of the sentence.) However, there is nothing wrong with using a comma after a one word adverb when that adverb begins the sentence. (As I just did!)

Anywho. That's enough of this discussion of language and grammar!

 

[cats mom]

Yes, I taught writing back in the day. I highly recommend The Deluxe Transitive Vampire. A quick readthrough usually sets me back on the straight and narrow when I've become lax in my usage.

Thanks for the book suggestion. It looks like it would be a good choice for me.
I've never quite shaken the dubious distinction of being dubbed queen of the comma splice in my HS AP english class.