So, the commas in this are driving me crazies. It comes from a Stephen King book, but I don't understand why specific commas are used in this structure.
Still, the editors said, his story, "Outside Marty's House," was an extraordinary mature work.
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"The editors said" and "Outside Marty's House" are (parentheticals).– Hot LicksCommented Sep 3, 2017 at 1:29
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1 Answer
The core of this sentence is
- his story was an extraordinary mature work
To that, we add the appositive to say what the name of his story is. Appositives are typically set off by commas.
-his story, "Outside Marty's House," was an extraordinary mature work
Next, we add the adjunct still; adjuncts, too, are typically set off by commas.
-Still, his story, "Outside Marty's House," was an extraordinary mature work
Finally, we attribute this opinion to the editors in another adjunct.
-Still, the editors said, his story, "Outside Marty's House," was an extraordinary mature work
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Okay, so would saying it in the below way mean that the sentence is instead about what the editors are saying, in contrast to it simply stating the work was extraordinary mature? Still, the editors said his story, "Outside Marty's House," was an extraordinary mature work. Commented Sep 3, 2017 at 1:39
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