grammar question

Factual Questions
1

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.

2

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

3

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.

4

  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.

5

That was good. Feel free to repeat it anytime.