To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of…
Should this phrase have a comma (or an em dash) before 'solely' and after 'race' or no punctuation at all?
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1It's fine as it is. But if you want m-dashes or commas then you could put a pair arouind the parenthesis 'sole because of their race'.– S ConroyCommented Jun 9, 2019 at 15:46
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1It's fine as it is. And you must not want to put em dashes or commas anywhere.– RegDwigнtCommented Jun 9, 2019 at 16:02
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1Punctuation-wise, none is incorrect. But that's not the only (or major) consideration. It depends on whether you are focusing heavily on the to-infinitival 'To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications' and wish to downplay 'solely because of their race' (in which case you add dashes to make this a parenthetical and imply that it is almost an afterthought, even inconsequential) or on whether you think that the racist reason is as important or even more important, in which case zero punctuation must be used. I agree with Reg that according to pragmatics this is the way to go.– Edwin AshworthCommented Jun 9, 2019 at 16:45
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Given only this sentence and not more context, I might replace to separate with separating. (It's also possible I would replace generates with would generate.) But, that aside, adding punctuation would simply harm the sentence. It's somewhat difficult to determine exactly how this sentence should be written without knowing the sentences that come before and after it.– Jason BassfordCommented Jun 10, 2019 at 4:33
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1 Answer
If the line was "To separate them solely because of their race..." you don't need commas. But the subordinate clause (?) '...from others of similar age and qualifications..." is made easier to read fluidly by surrounding it with commas. The underlying principle is that commas organize syntax within a sentence. Of course, in artistic prose, the writer might want the line to be read straight though in a rush, so omitting commas would help indicate that.
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Thanks, Simon. And any reason you say 'commas' as opposed to em dashes?– KevinCommented Jun 9, 2019 at 18:17
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Yes, em-dashes - some people hate them, but Jane Austen and Dickens, use them a lot. They're popular nowadays, probably because they work very clearly. Commented Jun 9, 2019 at 18:39
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Hello, Simon. Adding punctuation here drastically changes the emphasis, so it's not purely a matter of what takes your fancy. There has even been an answer on ELU grading the abruptness, the degree of intrusion on the matrix sentence, of parentheticals depending on whether commas, dashes, or parentheses (or with some examples zero punctuation) are chosen. Commented Jun 9, 2019 at 18:50
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Thanks @EdwinAshworth - the emphasis is indeed changed drastically by punctuation, and therefore the intended (as opposed to received) meaning. Commented Jun 9, 2019 at 19:16