why is a comma necessary before words ending with “-ing”?
Question by maestro: why is a comma necessary before words ending with “-ing”?
examples:
1. “I dealt with him standing beside the door, looking at me and saying…”
2.”I started working the next day, cleaning the cages and helping the kids.”
3.”She is a former model, having modeled for a number of businesses and photographers”
@Cheyanne- you’re an idiot. You can’t put a semi colon because the second clause is an dependent clause, not independent. Semi colons are used to connect 2 independent clauses, when not using a fanboy between them.
Best answer:
Answer by Bob B
It’s not the “-ing” that’s the reason for the comma. In each case, the comma sets off whatever phrase follows it.
The sentence:
“I dealt with him standing beside the door, all full of himself and saying…” would still require the comma even without the “-ing” wording.
[added]
If it were the case that a comma was required before an “-ing” word, the first two examples would need commas before the words “standing” and “working”.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
An independent clause can stand alone, and is meaningful on its own. (He gave Sally the flowers)
A dependent clause has no meaning on its own It cannot stand alone. (Smiling like a nerd)
A comma is used to start a dependent clause, which uses the -ing verb.
Smiling like a nerd, he gave Sally the flowers. OR
He gave her the flowers, smiling like a nerd.