ERGÄNZUNGSSTUDIUM TECHNISCHES ENGLISCH

Lecturer: Doris Storrer

Die Kommaregeln im Englischen

A. Das Komma wird im Englischen nicht gesetzt:

1. vor "that"
2. vor einschränkenden Relativsätzen mit "which", "who" und "that"
3. vor Infinitivsätzen und auch dann, wenn der Infinitiv durch ein Gerundium wiedergegeben wird;
4. in "conditional clauses".

Examples:

We believe that the company had gone bankrupt. he said that this machine will render a good service.

The mine which had been examined proved to be worthless.

The manager who came into the room was the personnel manager.

It is better to maintain the machine in the first place than to repair it later.

If you buy the valves today you can install them tomorrow.

B. Das Komma wird im Englischen gesetzt:

1. vor und nach adverbialen Bestimmungen, wie Z.B. of course, perhaps, in fact, besides, moreover, furthermore, occasionally, fortunately, etc.
2. vor ,,and" bei Aufzählungen;
3. nach einleitenden Redensarten;

Examples:

He, therefore, decided to return to his family.

The company, however, did not have to sack its employees.

That was, perhaps, the best idea he has ever had.

The furnace is filled with alternate layers of fuel, flux, and ore.

The materials in question are steel, rubber, glass, wood, plastics, and others.

In truth, he has never been to the States.

To begin with, all drawings should be made of standard size.

Actually, I didn't want to do it but I changed my mind.

The importance of commas in relative clauses

Remember that a defining clause is written without commas. Notice how the meaning changes when commas are inserted:

1. The travellers who knew about the floods took another road.
2. The travellers, who knew about the floods, took another road.

In (1) we have a defining relative clause which defines or limits the noun "travellers". This sentence therefore tells us that only the passengers who knew about the floods took the other road, and implies that there were other travellers who did not know and took the flooded road.

In (2) we have a non-defining clause which does not define or limit the noun it follows: this sentence implies that all travellers knew about the floods and took the other road.