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A Sentence from a hotel brochure
Jan 3, 2006 18:29
18 yrs ago
English term

because

Non-PRO English Art/Literary Linguistics
1-They didn’t want her on the committee because she was so outspoken.

2-They didn’t want her on the committee, because she was so outspoken.

How does the comma change the meaning here? Can you explain it to me with similar examples please
Responses
3 +15 see explanation
4 +7 See explanation
4 +1 a modest proposal

Responses

+15
10 mins
Selected

see explanation

Should I use a comma before "because" in a sentence?

This is a classic punctuation blunder. When "because" is in the middle of a sentence, a comma is never needed before it. If "because" is at the beginning of a sentence, a comma is placed after the clause it starts.

Example:
I e-mailed the Online Grammarian because I had a grammar question. (Notice there is no comma before "because.")
Because I had a grammar question, I e-mailed the Online Grammarian. (Notice the comma after the clause that "because" begins.)

http://www.uccs.edu/~wrtgcntr/archive.html#because
Peer comment(s):
agree Bianca Jacobsohn
13 mins
Thanks, Bianca. :-)
agree Karen Haggerty : Exactly.
17 mins
Thank you, Karen. :-)
agree Java Cafe
26 mins
Thank you very much. :-)
agree Elizabeth Lyons
29 mins
Thank you. :-)
agree jccantrell : Oh, yeah. clearly described and that is because *I* say so!
37 mins
Thank you very much. :-)
agree Will Matter
49 mins
Thanks a lot. :-)
agree Sabina Metcalf : Well done!
53 mins
Thank you very much, Sabina. :-)
agree Yavor Dimitrov
1 hr
Thank you. :-)
agree Paola Giardina
1 hr
Thank you, Paola. :-)
agree Enza Longo
1 hr
Thank you. :-)
agree Sophia Finos (X)
2 hrs
Thank you, Sophia. :-)
agree Rachel Fell
3 hrs
Thank you, Rachel. :-)
agree Peter Shortall
4 hrs
Thank you, Peter. :-)
neutral Marcelo González : Having done considerable graduate work (here in the US), I'm familiar with style guides. Feel free to cite a source or two. >I'm not so sure it's as simple as you suggest. There are situations in which a comma can precede "because."
5 hrs
There are different style guides suggesting different rules. As far as the rule I mentioned above is concerned, all well-established grammar books agree with it.
agree Premium✍️ : Fully agree.
7 hrs
Thank you very much. :-)
agree Alfa Trans (X)
22 hrs
neutral Aotearoa : Do everybody's grammar books explain negated verb phrases + because? Does the comma change the meaning in these two sentences? I didn't email the online Grammarian, because I knew the answer. I didn't email the online Grammarian because I knew the answer.
22 hrs
neutral Mike Delta : One learns the rules, in order to break them with style.
14 days
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+7
1 hr

See explanation

The American Heritage Book of English provides a good explanation of how the comma changes the meaning in the very example you provide.

Here's another illustration of the difference:

I don't love you, because you are fat/thin/ugly/beautiful. (This is my reason for not loving you (as harsh or illogical as it may seem.))

I don't love you because you are fat/thin/ugly/beautiful. (I have other reasons for loving you. This sentence can be rearranged as "I love you not because you are beautiful...")

A good way to get a feel for the difference is to read the sentence aloud, pausing slightly at the comma. Then read it without pausing.


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Note added at 1 hr 37 mins (2006-01-03 20:06:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, the link didn't make it.

www.bartleby.com/64/C001/015.html
Reference:

15. because. 1. Grammar. The American Heritage Book of English ...

Peer comment(s):
agree Rachel Fell : neat example
1 hr
Thank you, Rachel.
agree Aotearoa : Very good explanation.
3 hrs
Thank you, Fiona.
agree Marcelo González : An excellent example (which certainly calls into question the validity/simplicity of the explanation above). Well done, Kevin!
3 hrs
Thank you!
agree Laurel Porter (X) : Well done indeed - the asker wanted to know how the comma changed the meaning, with examples, and you've provided a brilliantly clear case.
12 hrs
Thank you, Laurel.
agree Alfa Trans (X)
21 hrs
Thank you, Marju.
agree Joanna Borowska
8 days
Thank you!
agree Mike Delta : If you put the comma in before because, you soften the blow since you show a level of compassion or diffidence or apology. Written English needs all the reasoned punctuation it can get to make its message clearer.
14 days
Thank you, Mike.
Something went wrong...
+1
13 hrs

a modest proposal

I find Christian's argements convincing, but Kevin's examples throw a spanner in the works. I would propose the following ad hoc rule: don't use a comma before "because" unless an ambiguity would result from omitting it. The ambiguities in Kevin's examples arise from doubt as to the scope of the negation. A better way of avoiding the ambiguity would be to rephrase.

I love her, but not because she is beautiful.
It's not because of her beauty that I love her.
...



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 hrs 12 mins (2006-01-04 08:41:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

So, perhaps,

Because she is so outspoken, ....
Because of her outspokenness, ....
Peer comment(s):
neutral Kevin Kelly : Very insightful comments. Rephrasing eliminates ambiguity in the examples without a comma. But the asker's question concerns the difference in meaning between the two sentences. It's simple: in sentence 1 the woman was wanted; in sentence 2 she was not.
1 hr
No it's not simple. The first sentence is correct but ambiguous and should therefore be avoided. The comma in the second is strictly incorrect but could be justified as eliminating the ambiguity.
agree Brie Vernier
4 hrs
neutral Marcelo González : We can often avoid these "sticky" questions of grammar by reorganizing the sentence, but the question still remains. I agree with Kevin on this. The asker wants to know the difference in meaning the sentences provided (both of which are fine).
8 hrs
neutral Mike Delta : Language transfers information. The comma transfers information. Game, set, and match to the comma. Grammar - 0.
14 days
Epsilon.
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