THOU gave me wisdom, even though I am a child or THOU gave me wisdom even though I am a child. Should I put comma before the even though?
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5It really ought to be "thou gavest"– JimCommented Mar 4, 2018 at 21:27
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1Without the full sentence it's unclear whether the "even though" clause is being used as a parenthetical or not.– Hot LicksCommented Sep 29, 2019 at 14:09
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5 Answers
In your case, you don't need a comma before even though.
There is never a comma between an independent clause (complete sentence) and a subordinate (or dependent) clause.
However, if the subordinate clause comes before the complete sentence, use a comma after it. (source 1, source 2)
In your example, thou gave me wisdom is a complete sentence, and even though I am a child is a subordinate clause.
You have two options:
Thou gave me wisdom even though I am a child.
or
Even though I am a child, thou gave me wisdom.
You need a comma before the even though.
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1It would be helpful to give a reason. The reason I would give is that there is a natural pause in the sentence at that point.– JeremyCCommented Mar 4, 2018 at 22:15
When I was in high school, our English teacher taught us that a comma represents a pause, which caused untold confusion for the students. The students ended up sprinkling commas throughout their writings like salt on eggs! Every time they stopped to take a breath or decide how they wanted to continue, they paused and dutifully added a comma. Since becoming an advanced-level grammar teacher I have discovered from a variety of grammar texts that commas are more about the mechanics of constructing a sentence than the writer needing or wanting to "pause". I agree with the first answer about not separating a main clause from a subordinate(adverb)clause, so no comma is used. Only if the subordinate clause precedes the main clause does it have a comma between the two clauses: I went to work even though I felt sick. Even though I felt sick, I went to work.
Both are equally correct, depending on the situation. If you want to emphasise on the word wisdom, you use the comma. If you want to pay emphasis to the word child, you don’t use the comma. It depends on what you’re giving importance to.
The general rule for subordinating conjunctions states that you shouldn't use a comma before a subordinating conjunction that comes after the main clause. However, "whereas" and "although" are examples of adverbs of concession, along with "though" and "even though". They are used where a dependent clause is contrasting to the main clause (a bit like "but").
Source: Prowritingaid.com
