Comma or no comma? Round two!

[SashaMcallister]

Nova wasn’t sure what to make of what Enoch was saying, but spotted an opportunity.

or

Nova wasn’t sure what to make of what Enoch was saying but spotted an opportunity.

I have a whole bunch of sentences similar to this and I keep flip-flopping on whether to put a comma in.

 

[JS Wiig]

I would say comma placement is the least of your worries in that quite awkward sentence.

 

[Wayne Mack]

In my long ago English classes, the rule I learned was that but is always preceded by a comma. Of course, I also learned that it is incorrect to start a sentence with but, however, I see that one violated daily.

 

[The Judge]

I usually have a comma before a "but" but it does rather depend on the sentence -- the longer the separate clauses, the greater the likelihood a comma is required, if only to give a mental breathing space as the whole line is parsed. So here, yes, I'd add a comma, but not in a short line eg not in something such as "I do love your mother but her cooking is terrible" unless you want an active pause before that specific "but" to give weight to it.

However, I have to agree with JSW that the example sentence you've used isn't the most elegant of lines and you might want to re-word it to make it flow a little more easily.

 

[.matthew.]

Nova wasn’t sure what to make of what Enoch was saying but spotted an opportunity.

I would say no comma in that example, but as for the others, it depends. There is definitely a rule about it though I can't remember it exactly. All I know is yours looks right without the comma, but mine in this paragraph look right with them although I could also have written them without.

Or just go with the pause guideline. If you'd speak it with a pause, comma.

 

[Wayne Mack]

I went and checked a couple of style guides I have at home.

Per The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White, "Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause." Rule 4, page 5.
Per The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer, "Use a comma to set off a contrasted word, phrase, or clause." Rule 12 under The Comma, page 81.

I just wanted to provide a little more authoritative opinion than just because Wayne says so.

 

[JS Wiig]

Nova was baffled by Enoch’s words, but spotted an opportunity to discover his intentions.

...or something like that maybe?

 

[SashaMcallister]

I think I'll leave it without the comma then per Wayne's grammar book. "Spotted an opportunity" isn't an independent clause.

 

[JS Wiig]

"Spotted an opportunity" isn't an independent clause.

To me it feels like a fragment. Opportunity to what? Spotted an opportunity to make of what Enoch was saying?

It doesn’t make sense to me.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

For me this isn’t about the comma - it probably isn’t needed - but that the first part of the sentence so clunky i need the pause to work it all out. Commas are only one element of flow.

 

[SashaMcallister]

As a side note, due to popular demand, I tweaked it to make it less clunky.

"Nova wasn’t sure what to make of all that, but spotted an opportunity."

Also, if it's not absolutely mandatory that there be no comma, I think I prefer one there for the sake of clarity by making the reader pause.

 

[Droflet]

 

[HareBrain]

I think I prefer one there for the sake of clarity by making the reader pause.

The main "rule" for using commas as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Of course, I also learned that it is incorrect to start a sentence with but, however, I see that one violated daily.

This is because, grammatically, it is not incorrect.

It is probably drilled into younglings by teachers, not to start sentences with conjunctions, to stop them writing the way that they speak and thus start every sentence with conjunctions.

 

[Ursa major]

In my long ago English classes, the rule I learned was that but is always preceded by a comma.

That's fine where "but" is being used as a conjunction, but sometimes it's being used as a different part of speech.

 

[HareBrain]

It's definitely incorrect to start a sentence with a comma.

 

[.matthew.]

"Nova wasn’t sure what to make of all that, but spotted an opportunity."

That comma seems to work now.

 

[tinkerdan]

We could complicate it more for you.

Nova wasn’t sure what to make of what Enoch was saying, but spotted an opportunity

Nova, unsure of what to make of Enoch's words, spotted an opportunity.

This does, however, clean up a problem I have with 'what to make of what'.

 

[paranoid marvin]

In my long ago English classes, the rule I learned was that but is always preceded by a comma. Of course, I also learned that it is incorrect to start a sentence with but, however, I see that one violated daily.

But me no buts?

 

[paranoid marvin]

"Nova wasn’t sure what to make of all that, but spotted an opportunity."

That comma seems to work now.

I agree, although what follows the 'but' should contrast with what preceded it. I'm not sure in this case it does?