Commas with parenthetic expression

  Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas. 

  The best way to see a country, unless you are pressed for time, is to travel on foot.

This rule is difficult to apply; it is frequently hard to decide whether a single word, such as however or a brief phrase, is or is not parenthetic. If the interruption to the flow of the sentence is but slight, the writer may safely omit the commas. But whether the interruption is slight or considerable, he must never insert one comma and omit the other. Such punctuation as 

  Marjorie's husband, Colonel Nelson paid us a visit yesterday,

or

  My brother you will be pleased to hear, is now in perfect health, is indefensible.

If a parenthetic expression is preceded by a conjunction, place the first comma before the conjunction, not after it.

  He saw us coming, and unaware that we had learned of his treachery,   greeted us with a smile.

Always to be regarded as parenthetic and to be enclosed between commas (or, at the end of the sentence, between comma and period) are the following:

(1) the year, when forming part of a date, and the day of the month, when following the day of the week: 

  February to July, 1916. 

  April 6, 1917. 

  Monday, November 11, 1918. 

(2) the abbreviations etc. and jr.

(3) non-restrictive relative clauses, that is, those which do not serve to identify or define the antecedent noun, and similar clauses introduced by conjunctions indicating time or place. 

  The audience, which had at first been indifferent, became more and more interested. 

In this sentence, the clause introduced by which does not serve to tell which of several possible audiences is meant; what audience is in question is supposed to be already known. The clause adds, parenthetically, a statement supplementing that in the main clause. The sentence is virtually a combination of two statements which might have been made independently: 

  The audience had at first been indifferent. It became more and more interested. 

Compare the restrictive relative clause, not set off by commas, in the sentence, 

  The candidate who best meets these requirements will obtain the place. 

Here the clause introduced by who does serve to tell which of several possible candidates is meant; the sentence cannot be split up into two independent statements. 

The difference in punctuation in the two sentences following is based on the same principle: 

  Nether Stowey, where Coleridge wrote The Rime of the Ancient   Mariner, is a few miles from Bridgewater. 

  The day will come when you will admit your mistake. 

Nether Stowey is completely identified by its name; the statement about Coleridge is therefore supplementary and parenthetic. The day spoken of is identified only by the dependent clause, which is therefore restrictive. 

Similar in principle to the enclosing of parenthetic expressions between commas is the setting off by commas of phrases or dependent clauses preceding or following the main clause of a sentence. 

  Partly by hard fighting, partly by diplomatic skill, they enlarged their dominions to the east, and rose to royal rank with the possession of Sicily, exchanged afterward for Sardinia.

The writer should be careful not to set off independent clauses by commas.

                                         from "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk

Comma rule in series

 In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a

Use a comma after each word except the last.

Thus write,

  red, white, and blue

  gold, silver, or copper

  He opened the letter, read it, and noted its contents.

This is also the usage of the Government Printing Office and of the

Oxford University Press.

In the names of business firms, the last comma is omitted, as,

  Brown, Shipley & Co.

  from "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk

Advanced vocabulary(SAT,GRE)

 ram - ramming

scrape

shudder (v)

broadsided

prod - prodding

flip

swerve

rip

swing a right

rivet (v)

SUV

lure

emollient

sideswipe

berm

yank (v)

tip (v)

precarious

skid - skidded - skidding

crunch

encroach

oblivion

crumple

tablish

scramble (v)

averted

crackle

scoot

wheeze out

rim

puffy

ripple

whizz

lurch

gurney

Possession rules

 Good evening, guys!! Here is one of the most confusing rules of possessive.  Add your examples in the comments below.

1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.

Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,

Charles's friend

Burns's poems

the witch's malice

This is the usage of the United States Government Printing Office and the Oxford University Press.

Exceptions are the possessive of ancient proper names in -es and -is, the possessive Jesus', and such forms as for conscience' sake, for righteousness' sake. But such forms as Achilles' heel, Moses' laws, Isis' temple are commonly replaced by

the heel of Achilles

the laws of Moses

the temple of Isis

The pronominal possessives hers, its, theirs, yours, and oneself have no apostrophe.

                                                               from "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk

Articles in English (Your Reflections)

 Hello guys,

I'd like to share some opinions on articles and looking forward to receiving your opinion on the same topic.

So, ARTICLES

... article usage in English is complex and, in many instances, arbitrary. There are several different uses for each article, articles are often omitted, and there are dialectal differences in the use of articles.

                                                                                        (Brinton & Brinton, 2010, p.123)

... the English article system ... appears to be virtually impermeable to instruction.

                                                                                        (Gass & Selinker, 2008, p. 383)

What is your opinion about article system in English?

Phrasal verbs

bring back - bring into - bring out - bring up

1. A week by the sea brought her ______ health.
2. He was brought _____ by his grandmother.
3. The work brought me _____ a contact with a lot of interesting people.
4. Jenny opened a cupboard and brought _____ a couple of bottles.

Vocabulary Check

aggregate - baffle -equity - pinch - torment

1. Private _____ activity can include buying distressed companies, and providing management services to maximize the chances of turnaround.
2. Apparently, bank managers are not feeling the _____ in the same way as their employees.
3. Children are far less likely to suffer from the ______ of toothache.
4. In the 1950s and 1960s, when communities across North America debated whether to put fluoride in their supply dentists, university researchers and other experts were ______ as to why people would vote against a measure that so clearly had a beneficial impact on children's teeth.
5. The success of mutual funds in _______ investment dollars from retail investors and charging a fee for providing professional investment management: services has directly spawned the ETF industry.