comma placement

[divineacclivity]

Hi,

My query here is, if I put a comma after Emma in the following sentence, would the modifier "looking at the cow" modify only Emma & not Ben?
Looking at the cow on the road, Emma and Ben banged into the glass door.
Adding a comma here
Looking at the cow on the road, Emma, and Ben banged into the glass door.
another similar sentence:
Working for a bank, Bella, and her friend Ron made a lot of money investing in shares.

thanks in advance

[Willy]

Hi,

My query here is, if I put a comma after Emma in the following sentence, would the modifier "looking at the cow" modify only Emma & not Ben?
Looking at the cow on the road, Emma and Ben banged into the glass door.
Adding a comma here
Looking at the cow on the road, Emma, and Ben banged into the glass door.
another similar sentence:
Working for a bank, Bella, and her friend Ron made a lot of money investing in shares.

thanks in advance

I don't think the revised versions are even sentences. If you are connecting two sentences with COMMA + AND then both sentences must be independent clauses, but here the first part isn't.

If you are only concerned with what "Looking at the cow on the road" will be modifying, I believe technically it still will be modifying Emma. Whosoever will be looking at the cow on the road must come after comma, and here it is Emma.

[tim]

thanks Willy!

[divineacclivity]

Ok, thank you. So, what I understand is "looking at the cow on the road" would always only modify Emma in the following sentence:
Looking at the cow on the road, Emma and Ben banged into the glass door.

So, does that mean we can't have "looking at the cow" modify both Emma and Ben? Experts/Ron please comment here?

thank you very much in advance.

[tim]

please remember that Ron is also an expert, so there is no need to say "Experts/Ron" because "Experts" will cover him as well.. :)

sorry i didn't clarify Willy's earlier post; when he said the modifier would still modify Emma, that should not be taken to mean it will modify ONLY Emma. with a sentence like yours, you can assume the modifier will modify the whole compound subject unless something about the sentence makes it clear this is not the case..

[divineacclivity]

please remember that Ron is also an expert, so there is no need to say "Experts/Ron" because "Experts" will cover him as well.. :)

Sure thing, I couldn't agree more. I'm a huge huge huge fan.

[tim]

lol me too :)

[Willy]

lol me too :)

Don't worry sir; I'm always here for you. :)

[tim]

lol i meant that i'm a huge fan of Ron :)

[Willy]

lol i meant that i'm a huge fan of Ron :)

I thought you were depressed. :-)

[tim]

yeah i saw that too after you wrote your post.. :)