coordinated sentences

[rezaa]

sentences can be syndetically or asyndetically coordinated ==> which means, for sentences to be combined together the combination has to convey one of the coordinative meanings ... right?
OK, someone handed me a write-about-yourself paragraph in which she used commas to connect the sentences from the beginning to the end. Is it wrong to do so? if it is then why the rule addresses '..can be asyndetically coordinated'? PLUS if we focus on the continuation of the ideas, that is where an idea stops and another starts (putting full stop '.'), the scope or view of that continuation can be variable depends on how you look at it(wide/narrow). the whole problem, i think, is that a sentence when connected with another by an asyndetic coordinator 'and' or even syndetic it gives additional information to the first sentence. the information can be a continuation/extention to the basic idea conveyed in the first sentence and the third sentence adds to both,....etc. for example: i'm divorced, i have two children, ......

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by rezaa

sentences can be syndetically or asyndetically coordinated ==> which means, for sentences to be combined together the combination has to convey one of the coordinative meanings ... right?
OK, someone handed me a write-about-yourself paragraph in which she used commas to connect the sentences from the beginning to the end. Is it wrong to do so? if it is then why the rule addresses '..can be asyndetically coordinated'? PLUS if we focus on the continuation of the ideas, that is where an idea stops and another starts (putting full stop '.'), the scope or view of that continuation can be variable depends on how you look at it(wide/narrow). the whole problem, i think, is that a sentence when connected with another by an asyndetic coordinator 'and' or even syndetic it gives additional information to the first sentence. the information can be a continuation/extention to the basic idea conveyed in the first sentence and the third sentence adds to both,....etc. for example: i'm divorced, i have two children, ......

First, what's the paragraph.

For members who are not familiar with syndetic, asyndetic, and polysyndetic coordination types, you can learn more here: Syndetic Coordination @ The Internet Grammar of English

All the best.

[rezaa]

Here it is: "My friend's name is Mona, she's 22 years old, she has two cats, her parents are very nice people, they spoil her, her favourite colour is black, her favourite music is hip hop and she likes playing basketball."
let's say:
A is the basic idea conveyed in the first clause, B is another, C, D, ..... etc.
B adds new information to A (B can be an extention of A or a totally new one because this is what 'and' means)
so it starts like A + B + C + D + .... sometimes we can look at the relationships between the clauses as sets not just as individual components, e.g. (A+B) + C. and thats what i meant by the continuation of ideas. you can have a universal or comprehensive thinking since there are no bounderies or limitations.

[Casiopea]

It reads like a list, doesn't it? So, what kind of explanation are you looking for?

[rezaa]

i told her to replace the commas with full stops at this stage of her learning. because it looked like incorrect punctuations but then i wondered why? if we can connect sentences using asyndetic coordinators espicially 'and'. plus as you can see it's not supposed to be a list but rather a write about yourself paragraph but the commas made it look like that. but again is it correct or incorrect to do so?

[Casiopea]

By placing a comma between two independent clauses, your student is creating what's called a comma splice. (click on the words in blue. It's a link) You're right in showing her that a period is required, and that it is the standard (or expected) way of writing two independent sentences.

Does that help?

[rezaa]

but as i said if the comma when is meant to be as asyndetic coordinator (replaces and), it's no longer considered comma splice because the relations between the sentences can always (depend on how wide you look at the continuation of the ideas) be of asyndetic 'and' meaning which gives a new idea to the basic or extends it. i hope it's clear now what i am asking for? if what i know is wrong correct me.
thank you very much :)

[Casiopea]

Asyndetic clauses (clauses not connected by a coordinating conjunction) are possible in English but they are subject to certain contraints/rules:

• the comma must work inside the sentence
• the subject must be absent, covert or phonetically unrealized;i.e., pro for silent pronoun.

Ex: He came, (pro) sat down, (pro) watched TV.


The symbol pro isn't pronounced; it's silent. It is the subject of the predicates sat down and watched TV, and it stands for He:


Ex: He came. He sat down. He watched TV.


In short, if the subject is absent or covert, then asyndetic clauses are possible. Your student's sentences, however, have overt subjects. They're visible and audible.

Does that help?

_________________________
Note that, relative clauses are also examples of asyndetic coordination. A relative clause functions as modification; it's part of a larger clause, which means the comma still works within its boundaries.

[rezaa]

thank you very much.. where can i find these rules. is there any reference book?? because i haven't been taught these..
to sum up:
to use asyndetic coordinator between sentence the subject must be shared by all sentences and must be covert (what if we make it overt, would the sentences be incorrect?) and also if we use a different subject (must be overt) then we have to use an overt coordinator as well?? sorry but are these rules crystal cut?

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by rezaa

thank you very much.. where can i find these rules. is there any reference book?

Have you checked out the link I sent you in post #2?

Note that, a semi-colon is an example of asyndetic coordination:

Ex: My friend's name is Mona; she's 22 years old.

In that example two clauses are conjoined. In the previous example, He came, sat down, watched TV three verb phrases are connected. In this example, Sam, Max, Stan, Pat four nouns are joined. The constituents are all the same. That's how asyndetic coordination works. It's not about missing a subject or pro; it's about constituency. In our example (below) the predicates/verb phrases came, sat down, watched TV, not the clauses, are being connected:

Ex: He came, sat down, watched TV.

Add a subject, either the same one or a different one, and a period or a semi-colon is needed to separate the ideas:

Ex: He came; he sat down; he watched TV.
Ex: He came. He sat down. He watched TV.

Does that help?

________________________________
Note,

Now some might think that asyndetic coordination,...,must be identical in meaning to the use of the two separate sentences,..., since no coordinator is present to add a new bit of meaning. However, the implied connections between clauses that are juxtaposed can be just as significant. Consider Caesar's famous use of asyndetic coordination when he juxtaposed these three short clauses and in the process gave us an insight into the egomaniacal soul:

(11) veni, vidi, vici ("I came, I saw, I conquered.")

By the use of asyndetic coordination, Caesar can suggest that the effort he expended on conquering of his territories and enemies was no greater than the effort he expended on simply arriving and observing. Coordination suggests parallelism, an idea that could not be conveyed by three separate, independent sentences in (11).

Source: English 2126: Modern English Grammar: Coordination and Subordination