watching the color change

[Maybo]

Meredith stirred soy milk into her coffee, watching the color change.

Source: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Is "while" omitted in the sentence? "Meredith stirred soy milk into her coffee while watching the color change"?
Is the comma optional? Can I also remove it?

 

[tedmc]

Though optional, there is no need for a conjunction (while) there. Having it disturbs the flow of the sentence.

 

[Maybo]

Is the comma optional? Can I also remove it?

 

[emsr2d2]

If you remove the comma, it'll look like it's the coffee that's watching the colour change so no, the comma is not optional.

 

[Maybo]

In this thread #6, this sentence is ok without a comma:
I got hit by a car walking to the shop.

I’d like to know when we can omit it and not

 

[jutfrank]

Whether you need to use or not use a comma depends primarily on the kind of meaning relation between the clauses.

Meredith stirred soy milk into her coffee, watching the color change.

What do you think is the meaning relation between these clauses? When you read the sentence, what effect does the pause (comma) help create?

Now look at this one without a comma:

I broke my ankle playing tennis.

What's the relation between the clauses here? What would change if you paused in the middle of this sentence?

 

[Maybo]

Both are one thing happened while another thing was happening.

However, for “Meredith stirred soy milk into her coffee, watching the color change”, the stirring happened first and the watching started a bit later. Then two actions continued.

For “I broke my ankle playing tennis”, it was the playing started first and then I broke my ankle. If I add a comma before “playing”, it sounds like I broke my ankles first and then played tennis.

 

[jutfrank]

Let me point it out for you:

I broke my ankle playing tennis.
She slipped and fell trying to climb in through the kitchen window.
My pet hedgehog got squashed crossing the road.
They drowned trying to swim the Atlantic.

In each case the blue -ing clause is causative. It sets the causal context within which the green result happened. Logically, the green parts wouldn't have happened without the blue parts. Can you see that? You can't use a comma in these sentences or else you'll lose that logic.

 

[Maybo]

I wrote this sentence: Don't stand there staring at me.

Is the blue part causative? Or is it another kind of sentence structure? The person need to staring at me so he stands there.

 

[Tarheel]

I wrote this sentence: Don't stand there staring at me.

Is the blue part causative? Or is it another kind of sentence structure? The person need to staring at me so he stands there.

No, it's not causative. The standing and the staring happen at the same time.

 

[emsr2d2]

I wrote this sentence: Don't stand there staring at me.

Is the blue part causative no question mark here or is it another kind of sentence structure? The person need to staring at me so he stands there.

The underlined part doesn't make sense. What do you mean?

 

[Maybo]

The underlined part doesn't make sense. What do you mean?

Since jutfrank said that I broke my ankle playing tennis is causative structure, I wonder if "Don't stand there staring at me" is also causative structure. If it is, is the cause "staring"?

 

[5jj]

Staring at me did not cause him to stand there.

 

[jutfrank]

Since jutfrank said that I broke my ankle playing tennis is causative structure, I wonder if "Don't stand there staring at me" is also causative structure. If it is, is the cause "staring"?

I didn't mean to suggest that all -ing phrases unseparated by a comma are causative. I was just giving you examples of one particular kind of logical relation. It's this kind of relation that I thought was supposed to be the case in your I got hit by a car walking to the shop example. I was trying to show why there can't be a comma in that example.

 

[Maybo]

I didn't mean to suggest that all -ing phrases unseparated by a comma are causative. I was just giving you examples of one particular kind of logical relation. It's this kind of relation that I thought was supposed to be the case in your I got hit by a car walking to the shop example. I was trying to show why there can't be a comma in that example.

What is this kind of sentence “Don't stand there staring”? I sometimes see this kind of sentence. How do I know when I need to add a comma?

 

[jutfrank]

You should never put a comma in that kind of sentence, and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be tempted to anyway, so don't worry.

I'm curious, though—what makes you recognise this as a 'kind' of sentence? Give me one or two other examples, so I can see what you're thinking.

 

[jutfrank]

Look, Maybo, here's a very basic rule for you to follow: If the -ing clause feels like it's providing additional information that's non-essential to the meaning of the first clause, then you can, and probably should, use a comma. Understood?

Look at these two narrative sentences:

a) She walked into the room.
b) She walked into the room, thinking about what to have for dinner.

Can you see that sentence b) is just an extension of sentence a), saying exactly the same thing and then adding more description? The comma creates a pause, which allows the reader to understand this separation. This kind of thing is very common in narrative sentences such as this one.

 

[Maybo]

I'm curious, though—what makes you recognise this as a 'kind' of sentence? Give me one or two other examples, so I can see what you're thinking.

For example:
I lay in bed looking at the ceiling.
I lay back drinking coffee.

Do I need a comma? Is it optional?

 

[Maybo]

I wrote this:
1. I stumbled upon a great cafe while walking around the city.

Can I say these?:
2. I stumbled upon a great cafe walking around the city.
3. I stumbled upon a great cafe, walking around the city.

I feel that 2 and 3 are weird, but I don't find I lay in bed looking at the ceiling weird.

 

[Tarheel]

For example:
I lay in bed looking at the ceiling.
I lay back drinking coffee.

Do I need a comma? Is it optional?

No. No. You don't need, and, in my humble opinion, shouldn't have a comma in either one.

Let's look at the first one. If I was going to use a comma there, I might say, "I lay in bed, and white I did that I looked at the ceiling.

As for the second one, if I was going to use a comma there I might say, "I lay back, and while I did that I was drinking coffee. (I don't know how that is possible. )