grammar question

Is it correct to use a comma in the following sentences?

Example 1: I can not go out with you again tonight**,** as I must stay home and wash my hair.

Or should it be: I can not go out with you again tonight as I must stay home and wash my hair.
Example 2: As I am sinking into this quicksand**,** I hope you will forget our past quarrels, put down the gun and throw me a rope.

Or should it be: As I am sinking into this quicksand I hope you will forget our past quarrels, put down the gun and throw me a rope.

Firstly, “cannot” is one word, not two. That said, I would keep the comma. Read the sentence aloud as though you were speaking to a friend; notice how you pause naturally after the word “tonight.” I’m not sure of the exact rule, but I know you definitely need that comma!

As for the second sentence, you need the comma; it separates the introductory phrase (As I am sinking into this quicksand) from the rest of the sentence. You also need a comma after the word “gun.” You’ve a series there, and always need a comma after each item in the series.

~Ferry

I believe that putting a comma after the 2nd to last item in a series is optional as long as you are consistent (in Am Eng).

I’m sure that it has been covered here before, though.

  1. The definition of “as” to mean “because” is 7th as listed in www.m-w.com, so using “because” will make the sentence clearer.

  2. Definitely do not use the comma in the first sentence. See http://www.uccs.edu/~wrtgcntr/archive.html#because

  3. Greetings to hydrated amorphous silica consisting of spherical microcrystallites of [symbol]a[/symbol]-cristobalite with 3-10% water trapped in the sub-microscopic centres of the spheres. I’ll never do this again, I promise.

  4. As previously mentioned, definitely use the comma in the second sentence.

That was good. Feel free to repeat it anytime.