Page:The king's English (IA kingsenglish00fowlrich).pdf/253
2. The verb and its subject, object, or complement.
Our argument against the common practice of placing a comma before substantival that-clauses and others like them was, in brief: This sort of that-clause is simply equivalent to a noun; that noun is, with few exceptions, the subject, object, or complement, to a verb; and between things so closely and essentially connected as the verb and any of these no stop should intervene (unless for very strong and special rhetorical reasons). This last principle, that the verb and its essential belongings must not be parted, was merely assumed. We think it will be granted by any one who reads the next two examples. It is felt at once that a writer who will break the principle with so little excuse as here will shrink from nothing.
So poor Byron was dethroned, as I had prophesied he would be, though I had little idea that his humiliation, would be brought about by one, whose sole strength consists in setting people to sleep.–Borrow.
He was, moreover, not an unkind man; but the crew of the Bounty, mutinied against him, and set him half naked in an open boat.–Borrow.
Very little better than these, but each with some perceptible motive, are the next six:
Depreciation of him, fetched up at a stroke the glittering armies of her enthusiasm.–Meredith.
Opposition to him, was comparable to the stand of blocks of timber before a flame.–Meredith.
In each of these the comma acts as an accent upon him, and is purely rhetorical and illogical.
Such women as you, are seldom troubled with remorse.–Corelli.
Here the comma guards us from taking you are together. We have already said that this device is illegitimate. Such sentences should be recast; for instance, Women like you are seldom, &c.
The thick foliage of the branching oaks and elms in my grounds afforded grateful shade and repose to the tired body, while the tranquil loveliness of the woodland and meadow scenery, comforted and soothed the equally tired mind.–Corelli.
With them came young boys and little children, while on either side,