In which sentence should two commas be placed: "The dog barked happily from afar when it saw its owner"?

In which sentence should two commas be placed: "The dog barked happily from afar when it saw its owner"? - briefly

To determine the correct placement of commas in the sentence "The dog barked happily from afar when it saw its owner," it is essential to understand the grammatical structure and the function of each clause. The sentence contains two clauses: "The dog barked happily from afar" and "when it saw its owner." The second clause provides additional information about the timing of the action in the first clause.

The correct placement of two commas would be around the second clause to set it off as a non-restrictive (parenthetical) element. Therefore, the sentence should be written as: "The dog barked happily from afar, when it saw its owner,".

In which sentence should two commas be placed: "The dog barked happily from afar when it saw its owner"? - in detail

To determine the correct placement of two commas in the sentence "The dog barked happily from afar when it saw its owner," it is essential to understand the grammatical structure and the function of each clause. The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause introduced by the word "when." Proper punctuation ensures clarity and corrects the sentence's meaning.

Firstly, identify the main clause: "The dog barked happily from afar." This clause stands alone as a complete sentence. The subordinate clause, "when it saw its owner," provides additional information about the timing of the action in the main clause. To set off the subordinate clause correctly, a comma should be placed before "when" and after "owner."

The correct placement of the commas is as follows:

"The dog barked happily from afar, when it saw its owner."

However, this punctuation is incorrect because it separates the main clause from the subordinate clause in a way that disrupts the flow of the sentence. The correct punctuation should not isolate the subordinate clause but rather integrate it smoothly into the main clause. Therefore, the correct placement of the commas is as follows:

"The dog barked happily from afar, when it saw its owner," is incorrect.

The correct sentence without any commas is: "The dog barked happily from afar when it saw its owner." This sentence is grammatically correct and does not require any commas. The subordinate clause "when it saw its owner" is essential to the meaning of the sentence and should not be separated by commas.

In summary, the sentence "The dog barked happily from afar when it saw its owner" does not require any commas. The subordinate clause is integral to the main clause, and separating them with commas would disrupt the sentence's flow and meaning. Therefore, no commas are necessary in this sentence.