13 words and phrases that you shouldn't consider introductory and separate with commas

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Anyone who wants to write competently should know.

1. As if

"As if" and his friend "as if" are some of the first contenders for comma delimitation. Remember: these words are never introductory, being either particles ("As if you really can't hear"), or unions ("She smiled at him as if nothing had happened").

2. Ultimately

Most likely, difficulties arise because the adverbial expressions "in the end" and "in the end" are often confused with a similar meaning "in the end", which can be introductory and requires comma separation. These same expressions are not isolated: "In the end, Ivan solved this problem" and "In the end, colleagues found a common language."

3. In any case

And again before us is an adverbial expression (as well as "as a last resort", "in our case" and the like), which does not require comma separation. It is correct to write this way: “In our case, we did not risk anything” and “He can go to graduate school anyway”).

4. Just in case

Another common phrase with the word "case" that often raises questions. The adverbial combination “just in case” is meaningfully and syntactically related to other words of the sentence, therefore it is not introductory. It is correct to write like this: "Just in case, the seller offered to try on this thing in a different color."

5. However

An adverbial expression can appear at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence, but in none of the cases it acts as an introductory one. “At the same time, they loved each other dearly” and “The strength of this cocktail is at the same time not high - the girls will also like it” - so it will be true.

6. By decision

Like the synonymous combination "by order", it is not introductory. Therefore, the setting of punctuation marks is not required: "By a court decision, the offender was brought to administrative responsibility."

7. Allegedly

This word can be both a particle and a union, but not an introductory one. When "supposedly" performs the role of a union, we separate it from one part of the sentence with a comma (unless this word is followed by an isolated phrase): "Grisha had a dream that he was running across a meadow drenched in the sun." In the case of the particle, signs are not required: "At this time he was supposedly at home."

8. Maybe

Despite its colloquial origin, the particle requires increased attention to itself and often successfully achieves commas. So, in Ozhegov's dictionary, the word really belongs to the category of introductory words, however, practicing linguists, relying on modern linguistic norms, unanimously repeat that it is not necessary to separate “maybe” with commas. The following spelling will be preferable: "Perhaps everything will work out!".

9. The so-called

The combination "so-called" is often equated with the introductory phrase "so to speak", which is always separated by commas. Hence the extra signs. It is correct to write this: "She received the so-called start in life." And here's another thing: a word or phrase that follows "so-called" does not need to be enclosed in quotation marks - this is considered a mistake.

10. At least

“At least” and “as maximum” are adverbs with the meanings “at least” and “at most”, respectively. Both adverbs play the role of circumstances in the sentence and are not introductory. The only exception is the author's punctuation, in which phrases can still be isolated. But for everyday written speech, this is irrelevant.

11. Nevertheless

A phrase can be both a union and an amplifying particle. In the first case, there can be a comma before "nevertheless" if it is needed to separate one part of a complex sentence from another. For example: "Lyosha appreciates friendship with Yegor, nevertheless sometimes he cannot find a common language with him."In the case of the particle, commas are not needed at all: "Nevertheless, he came home on time."

12. Once upon a time

This word is sometimes used by commas even by those who can be called literate people. To avoid a mistake, ask the question: “When? One day". If you can ask a question to a word in a sentence, it means that it carries a certain semantic load and is not an introductory one. Therefore, it will be true: "One day he will regret what he said."

13. Meanwhile

Many people confuse the phrase with the consonant "by the way", which is introductory. However, the adverb "meanwhile" plays the role of a circumstance of time in the sentence and does not and does not require isolation: "Meanwhile, after the meeting, nothing has changed in the work of managers."

"Meanwhile" can also be a union. In this case, a comma is placed in front of it, but you still don't need to separate the union with commas on both sides. It is correct to write like this: "My heart was sad, meanwhile I had to pretend to be a joyful person."