Do I need a comma in these sentences?

[datere]

Hi,everyone,
May I ask if the commas are alternative in the following sentences? I
searched my grammar books but still don't have a clue. Would you
please help with this? Thank you for your help!

My father is sitting on the sofa watching TV.
My father is sitting on the sofa, watching TV.

Some girls are walking down the street talking to each other.
Some girls are walking down the street, talking to each other.

Someone was standing by the gate looking at me.
Someone was standing by the gate, looking at me.

She entered the room switching on the light.
She entered the room, switching on the light.

The old lady fell going downstairs.
The old lady fell, going downstairs.

They waved again and again to us leaving the airport.
They waved again and again to us, leaving the airport.

Thank you very much for your help!!

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

Post by datere
Hi,everyone,
May I ask if the commas are alternative in the following sentences? I
searched my grammar books but still don't have a clue. Would you
please help with this? Thank you for your help!
My father is sitting on the sofa watching TV.
My father is sitting on the sofa, watching TV.
Some girls are walking down the street talking to each other.
Some girls are walking down the street, talking to each other.
Someone was standing by the gate looking at me.
Someone was standing by the gate, looking at me.

In all of the above the commas are optional. Their effect of the
meaning is very slight. You can use a comma if you think the sentence
is expressing two different ideas rather than one related one.

Post by datere
She entered the room switching on the light.
She entered the room, switching on the light.

You need the comma here. Without it the sentence makes little sense:
these are clearly two potentially independent actions.

Post by datere
The old lady fell going downstairs.
The old lady fell, going downstairs.

The comma is not needed here, but you do need a "while": The old lady
fell while going downstairs.

Post by datere
They waved again and again to us leaving the airport.
They waved again and again to us, leaving the airport.

Same as the previous one.

[datere]

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Post by datere
The old lady fell going downstairs.
The old lady fell, going downstairs.

The comma is not needed here, but you do need a "while": The old lady
fell while going downstairs.

Thank you for your reply. By the way, "The old lady fell going
downstairs." is copied from one of my grammar books. Is this a bad/
wrong sentence? How about "She trembled doing so."? Thanks again!!

[R J Valentine]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 06:58:39 -0700 (PDT) datere <***@yahoo.com.tw> wrote:

} On 6$B7n(B2$BF|(B, $B2<8a(B9$B;~(B49$BJ,(B, Athel Cornish-Bowden <***@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
}> > The old lady fell going downstairs.
}> > The old lady fell, going downstairs.
}> The comma is not needed here, but you do need a "while": The old lady
}> fell while going downstairs.
}
} Thank you for your reply. By the way, "The old lady fell going
} downstairs." is copied from one of my grammar books. Is this a bad/
} wrong sentence? How about "She trembled doing so."? Thanks again!!

No. No.

[unknown]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 14:29:41 +0000 (UTC), R J Valentine

Post by R J Valentine
}> > The old lady fell going downstairs.
}> > The old lady fell, going downstairs.
}> The comma is not needed here, but you do need a "while": The old lady
}> fell while going downstairs.
}
} Thank you for your reply. By the way, "The old lady fell going
} downstairs." is copied from one of my grammar books. Is this a bad/
} wrong sentence? How about "She trembled doing so."? Thanks again!!
No. No.

OK, you gave them both a heads-up, but to this American ear, they
sound somewhat "foreign" and dated. I'll bet this learner's text
was compiled using BrE from the ancien regime.

Aspasia

[R J Valentine]

On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:51:01 -0700 aspasia wrote:

} On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 14:29:41 +0000 (UTC), R J Valentine
} <***@TheWorld.com> wrote:
}
}>On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 06:58:39 -0700 (PDT) datere <***@yahoo.com.tw> wrote:
}>
}>} On 6$B7n(B2$BF|(B, $B2<8a(B9$B;~(B49$BJ,(B, Athel Cornish-Bowden <***@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
}>}> > The old lady fell going downstairs.
}>}> > The old lady fell, going downstairs.
}>}> The comma is not needed here, but you do need a "while": The old lady
}>}> fell while going downstairs.
}>}
}>} Thank you for your reply. By the way, "The old lady fell going
}>} downstairs." is copied from one of my grammar books. Is this a bad/
}>} wrong sentence? How about "She trembled doing so."? Thanks again!!
}>
}>No. No.
}
} OK, you gave them both a heads-up, but to this American ear, they
} sound somewhat "foreign" and dated. I'll bet this learner's text
} was compiled using BrE from the ancien regime.

"[H]eads-up", you say?

[R J Valentine]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 15:49:12 +0200 Athel Cornish-Bowden <***@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

} On 2008-06-02 14:10:07 +0200, datere <***@yahoo.com.tw> said:
}
}> Hi,everyone,
}> May I ask if the commas are alternative in the following sentences? I
}> searched my grammar books but still don't have a clue. Would you
}> please help with this? Thank you for your help!
...
}> The old lady fell going downstairs.
}> The old lady fell, going downstairs.
}
} The comma is not needed here, but you do need a "while": The old lady
} fell while going downstairs.

Unless of course she fell on the landing, wobbled a while on her knees,
and ended up going downstairs (which wants the comma).

[unknown]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 14:27:34 +0000 (UTC), R J Valentine

Post by R J Valentine
}
}> Hi,everyone,
}> May I ask if the commas are alternative in the following sentences? I
}> searched my grammar books but still don't have a clue. Would you
}> please help with this? Thank you for your help!
...
}> The old lady fell going downstairs.
}> The old lady fell, going downstairs.
}
} The comma is not needed here, but you do need a "while": The old lady
} fell while going downstairs.
Unless of course she fell on the landing, wobbled a while on her knees,
and ended up going downstairs (which wants the comma).

Perfect illustration of BrE vs AmE.

On this side of the Pond, we say "need" for your "want".

Aspasia

[LFS]

Post by unknown
On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 14:27:34 +0000 (UTC), R J Valentine

Post by R J Valentine
}
}> Hi,everyone,
}> May I ask if the commas are alternative in the following sentences? I
}> searched my grammar books but still don't have a clue. Would you
}> please help with this? Thank you for your help!
...
}> The old lady fell going downstairs.
}> The old lady fell, going downstairs.
}
} The comma is not needed here, but you do need a "while": The old lady
} fell while going downstairs.
Unless of course she fell on the landing, wobbled a while on her knees,
and ended up going downstairs (which wants the comma).

Perfect illustration of BrE vs AmE.
On this side of the Pond, we say "need" for your "want".

RJV is in the US, I believe.

[unknown]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 15:49:12 +0200, Athel Cornish-Bowden

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Post by datere
Hi,everyone,
May I ask if the commas are alternative

"Alternative" as you use it is not common in the U.S. If you want the
word, you need to say "an alternative", or even better "an alternative
choice".

in the following sentences? I

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Post by datere
searched my grammar books but still don't have a clue. Would you
please help with this? Thank you for your help!
My father is sitting on the sofa watching TV.
My father is sitting on the sofa, watching TV.
Some girls are walking down the street talking to each other.
Some girls are walking down the street, talking to each other.
Someone was standing by the gate looking at me.
Someone was standing by the gate, looking at me.

In all of the above the commas are optional. Their effect of the
meaning is very slight. You can use a comma if you think the sentence
is expressing two different ideas rather than one related one.

Post by datere
She entered the room switching on the light.
She entered the room, switching on the light.

As she entered the room, she switched on the light.

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden
these are clearly two potentially independent actions.

Post by datere
The old lady fell going downstairs.
The old lady fell, going downstairs.

The comma is not needed here, but you do need a "while": The old lady
fell while going downstairs.

Post by datere
They waved again and again to us leaving the airport.
They waved again and again to us, leaving the airport.

WHO was leaving the airport? They or us?

Best write: They waved again and again to us as
(they) (we) were leaving the airport.

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden
Same as the previous one.

Aspasia

[Bob Cunningham]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 05:10:07 -0700 (PDT), datere

Post by datere
Hi,everyone,
May I ask if the commas are alternative in the following sentences? I
searched my grammar books but still don't have a clue. Would you
please help with this? Thank you for your help!
My father is sitting on the sofa watching TV.
My father is sitting on the sofa, watching TV.
Some girls are walking down the street talking to each other.
Some girls are walking down the street, talking to each other.
Someone was standing by the gate looking at me.
Someone was standing by the gate, looking at me.
She entered the room switching on the light.
She entered the room, switching on the light.
The old lady fell going downstairs.
The old lady fell, going downstairs.
They waved again and again to us leaving the airport.
They waved again and again to us, leaving the airport.
Thank you very much for your help!!

In all of those cases it's okay to either have the comma or
to not have it, but the meanings are somewhat different
between the two.

When you say "The old lady fell going downstairs", you have
no pause after "fell", and "going downstairs" is an
essential part of the assertion. When you say "The old lady
fell, going downstairs", you're reflecting a slight pause
that would occur in speech, and the phrase "going
downstairs" is like an afterthought. You say that the old
lady fell, and then you decide to add the explanation that
she was going downstairs.