The book club fight over a single comma in chapter 4

We were at the library in Lynnwood last Tuesday debating whether that comma in the first sentence of chapter 4 was a style choice or a typo. Half the group argued it changed the whole meaning, the other half said we were overthinking a 80 year old book. It got so heated Carol threatened to quit if we didn't move on. Now I can't read any punctuation without wondering if other people are having silent debates about it. Has anyone else had a book club derail over something this small?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_reed551mo ago

Nah I'm totally on Carol's side here lol. That comma after "morning" is clearly just a style choice from the 1940s when people wrote way more formal. I read that sentence out loud three times and the meaning doesn't change one bit whether the comma is there or not. The fight over it is honestly kinda funny because the real drama in chapter 4 is how the main character acts, not a tiny punctuation mark the author probably didn't even think twice about.

violar351mo agoMost Upvoted

I agree with you about the main character's actions being the real issue in chapter 4. That's where the story really falls apart in my opinion. But I have to disagree about that comma not changing anything. Without it, the sentence reads like one long run-on thought. That comma after "morning" gives the reader a tiny pause that actually helps the meaning land better.

wyatt_mitchell261mo ago

Wait which comma are we talking about - the one after "morning" or the one before "but" in that same sentence?