# Can I use you understood more than once in a sentence? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214 "2003-12-10T22:21:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yellowcakesolid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cdc98d/32.png) [@yellowcakesolid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowcakesolid)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/1 "2003-12-10T22:21:32Z")
Is there any rule stating that you can only be understood once in a sentence, or can I goof around and vary my punctuation whenever I feel like it? In other words, not only are the following two sentences acceptable, but I can switch between the two whenever I feel like it. Run to the store and get some milk. Run to the store, and get some milk. In the first example, I’m really saying, “You run to the store and get some milk.” I don’t have to use a comma because the sentence only has one subject, or one you. Since I can assume you once, however, is there anything stopping me from assuming it twice in the same sentence? In this case I would be saying, “You run to the store, and you get some milk.” ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/2 "2003-12-10T22:27:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yellowcakesolid \* > \*\*Is there any rule stating that you can only be understood once in a sentence, or can I goof around and vary my punctuation whenever I feel like it? Since I can assume you once, however, is there anything stopping me from assuming it twice in the same sentence? In this case I would be saying, “You run to the store, and you get some milk.” \*\* Clarity and brevity are your friends. Your first example is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/3 "2003-12-10T22:29:21Z")
The comma is unnecessary, in this instance. In either case, “you” is understood both times. There’s no limit to how many times you can have an understood “you” in a sentance that I’m aware of. Now, use Google, look up some style manuals and gain a better understanding of this subject. Three "you"s understood. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/4 "2003-12-10T23:06:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > There’s no limit to how many times you can have an understood “you” in a sentance that I’m aware of. Now, use Google, look up some style manuals and gain a better understanding of this subject. Three "you"s understood. Actually, it sounds to mine ear like it’s just a single _you_ with a compound predicate. And the same goes for the OP’s first example. Do you not think so? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/5 "2003-12-10T23:13:42Z")
I was always told that the example should be takes as [You] run to the store and [you] get some milk. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/6 "2003-12-11T00:48:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*I was always told that the example should be takes as [You] run to the store and [you] get some milk. \*\* But it could just as easily be seen as taking the form of "I ran to the store and got some milk. That would be preferred to “I ran to the store, and I got some milk.” I suppose that either form is valid so you can monkey around with them as you wish, but your first example would be preferred. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/7 "2003-12-11T00:53:53Z")
A conditional, perhaps? If you move, I will shoot you. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/8 "2003-12-11T01:07:38Z")
And I completely misread the OP. How about I shoot me instead? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/9 "2003-12-11T01:16:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yellowcakesolid \* > In other words, not only are the following two sentences acceptable, but I can switch between the two whenever I feel like it. > > Run to the store and get some milk. > Run to the store, and get some milk. As others have said, why use extra punctuation when you don’t need to? But let’s try for a crafty differentiation between the above pair. The top one means: - (You) run to the store (that sells milk) and (you) get some milk (there). The other one means: - (You) run to the store (it’s obvious which one), and (then) get some milk (from somewhere else). Howzat? ---
**Author:** ![yellowcakesolid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cdc98d/32.png) [@yellowcakesolid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowcakesolid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-you-understood-more-than-once-in-a-sentence/218214/10 "2003-12-11T18:15:02Z")
Ha ha, I did a pretty crummy job of phrasing that question! I’m interested in joining two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction and a comma. Since there is no visual indication, I have no way of knowing if the second part of the sentence is an independent clause or not. I guess mentioning this in the beginning might have helped. A number of you still managed to sift through the muck and come up with the answer I was looking for. A big thanks to you and to everyone who took the time to read my question and post a reply. I apologize in advance for adding to the post when it might not be necessary. In this case, however, I felt the question needed to be phrased better.