Do I need both commas in this sentence? If not, why?

Question

"We believe that you will be very happy with, and proud of, the capital improvements we have implemented."

I think the second one is not necessary but I'm not sure. What do you think?

Answer 1

Depends how you want to say it and the emphasis you are placing on the statement.

The way you have written it is including the phrase 'and proud of' almost as an afterthought. So you could have intended to say:-

"We believe that you will be very happy with the capital improvements we have implemented." and then as you were saying that realise that the element of pride could be added and so form the sentence as it is. naturally the commas are only in the written version but consider how it sounds when you speak.

Alternatively if you were trying to impart two qualities of happiness and pride together then the sentence would not need any commas at all. So it would look:

"We believe that you will be very happy with and proud of the capital improvements we have implemented."

Answer 2

You have two options in this sentence: to have both commas or to have neither. You can't have just one though: as it stands, the 'and proud of' is acting as a separate clause, marked off from the main sentence. The sense is the same as if you put it in brackets - 'We believe that you will be very happy with (and proud of) the capital improvements...' However, if you leave out the second comma, the sentence stops making sense: it reads as 'you will be very happy with (and proud of the capital improvements we have implemented).' 'You will be very happy with' is a sentence fragment; it can't stand alone. So: either no commas, or two.

Answer 3

I think that no hard and fast rule exists in certain cases, regarding commas. However, it is better, though not necessarily incorrect, to use a second comma in the sentence you have given. The reason is the manner in which it sets off the group of words or idea that "you" will be "proud of", leaving an appropriate pause in the sentence. The second comma also helps to clarify the meaning a bit more.

Actually, I have only given you what I think. I have an old high school English grammar and compositiion text book handy. Rule number three of 17 listed rules states, "To set off an expression requires two commas unless the words to be set off come first or last in the sentence."

It also is possible to separate or set off groups of words with a bit more emphasis by using dashes. Here is an example: "The Corleone family had a significant rival - namely the Tataglia clan - and it had to be on constant watch."

Note, however, that when you use one dash to set off the words or idea, you have to use a second one at the end of the group of words, as in the example. The general rule is that you cannot use one dash. The dash has to be followed by a second one. It is not "- -" BUT " - group of words or idea - ". In other words, you would write a dash, then a space, then write your group of words or idea, then leave another space and then put down another dash, followed by a space and the rest of the sentence.

Answer 4

Well, it may not be technically required, but it certainly helps the readability of the sentence.

By using the second comma, you have shortened the sentence from "We believe that you will be very happy with the capital improvements we have made, and proud of them as well." The second comma is needed to separate the two phrases that refer to the capital improvements ("happy with" and "proud of").

Answer 5

Yes you need both commas. A reasonable general rule is that if something needs to be set off with a comma, it needs to be surrounded by commas. For example, if today is January 30, 2007, you set off the year with a comma both before and after the year, even though your voice may make no pause after the "2007".

Although we usually pause where there is a comma, we do not always have to pause there. Similarly, we sometimes pause where no comma is grammatically indicated. Strange, huh?

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