Page:The king's English (IA kingsenglish00fowlrich).pdf/253

Rh 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.

Very little better than these, but each with some perceptible motive, are the next six:

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.–.

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.