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I'm an English-learning Japanese student. I want to know if I'm using the word 'via' properly. This is the sentence:

"...by telling Sato how you can meet people even if they live overseas via the application."

Should I have a comma before via, or is this fine now? Thank you for your help!

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  • "even if they live overseas" is a "parenthetical" and should have commas at both ends. But the sentence probably should be reworded.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Mar 21, 2020 at 1:17
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    Would be far better to say "...by telling Sato how you can meet people via the application, even if they live overseas."
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Mar 21, 2020 at 2:01

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"even if they live overseas" is a "parenthetical" and should have commas at both ends.

But the sentence probably should be reworded. Would be far better to say "...by telling Sato how you can meet people via the application, even if they live overseas."

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Konbanwa! You are using via properly.

It's used in the same manner as "with" or "through".

  • "...even if they live overseas via the application."
  • "...even if they live overseas through the application."
  • "...even if they live overseas with the application."
  • "...even if they live overseas using the application."

All of these are equally proper (to me).

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  • Without punctuation the sentence seems to be saying that they live via the application.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Mar 21, 2020 at 2:00
  • It's a conditional relative clause. I think that it benefits from, but doesn't require, commas. (See my parenthetical there :) )
    – Aaron Bell
    Commented Mar 21, 2020 at 2:06
  • "Conditional relative clause" is Greek to me!
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Mar 21, 2020 at 2:28
  • I knew what it was, but I had to look it up the name myself. Examples include: It is a time when great men are called to act. People are useful when necessity calls for it. It's okay if you think it is.
    – Aaron Bell
    Commented Mar 21, 2020 at 2:37
  • Regardless of what it is syntactically, it's a parenthetical -- placing it in parentheses doesn't change the basic meaning of the sentence. "...by telling Sato how you can meet people (even if they live overseas) via the application."
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Mar 21, 2020 at 2:42

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