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I'm not sure whether I should write like this:

Try A or, a more famous one, B.

Or like this

Try A, or a more famous one, B.

Or try other forms to avoid expression like this.

Does anyone have ideas about this?

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Welcome to ELU. +1 for entertaining the possibility up front that a different expression might be preferable. – StoneyB Dec 25 '12 at 16:45
+1 for a good example of parethentical phrase + pause-comma in one. – Kris Dec 26 '12 at 5:14

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote

A comma is arguably not necessary at all in that sentence, and it certainly isn’t appropriate after or, but the second version is defensible.

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I have to disagree with this for six reasons: (i) "Try A or B", (ii) "Try A or a more famous one", (iii) "Try A or B, a more famous one", (iv) "Try A or a more famous one, B", (v) *"Try A B", & (vi) "Try A or a more famous one B". No comma necessary in the first two. But "B" = "a more famous one"; ergo, "a more famous one" is in apposition to "B", or vice versa. Because of this, one of those noun phrases is merely a parenthetical remark that must be set off by 1 (iii & iv) or 2 commas "Try A or, a more famous one, B". Ss (v) & (vi) are clearly incorrect. I prefer (iii). – Bill Franke Dec 25 '12 at 23:14

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