Do I need a comma before the "how"? Put a comma before the word "as" or not?

One of the most common punctuation mistakes in high school is a comma before "what", "how" and other words in the constructs that they join with. This is because some authors of school allowances call a comparative turnover all the constructions with these words.

In fact, "how" can act as a union or a particle. And this design is not always a comparative turn. In some cases, it is a circumstance.

The design serves as:

- Predicate: The whole world is like an exciting adventure .

- Definitions or attachments: Crocodile, as an animal rare, is listed in the Red Book .

- Comparative turnover or circumstances: Life boiled like a waterfall of passions .

- Introductory construction: I decided to change my shirt or shirt, as my mom said .

- The complementary part of the sentence: It is as difficult to live in the village as to convey the unusual smell of the field with words .

The difference in comparative speed and other combinations

A comma before "how" is put in the following cases:

1) If the combination means only assimilation, i.e. Means "like" and no longer has any other meanings. Such a design is called the comparative turnover and in the proposal is a circumstance. For example: Basil, as a hero, defended his friend. But it is necessary to pay attention to such a moment that the comparative turnover is not allocated by commas, if it stands in the middle of the sentence. In this case, the part of the sentence to which the given construction belongs applies is emphasized. For example: At the ball, Anna, in love as a passionate maiden, looked into the eyes of her chosen one. In this sentence, the comparative turnover is not separated from the "enamored" by a comma just because these words have a semantic connection. If there is a comma before the word "how" , then it will "look like a passionate lioness" , and in the sentence a completely different meaning.

2) If the combination is used together with the union "and". This design is also called the comparative turnover and appears in the sentence circumstance: Peter to me, like everyone in the class, treated well.

Apps

In order to prevent another mistake, it is necessary to determine which member of the proposal is the combination of interest to us, with what words it is related:

1) In the case when the words "so", "one", "such", "so" and many others are used before the combination. Such constructions are applications, and in the sentence they are a definition. For example: Such films as horror or thrillers, he usually did not watch.

2) The combination has the meaning of causality. Usually it is an application, and in the sentence it is a definition. For example: The doctor, as a good specialist, paid much attention to sick patients . This sentence shows the reason in combination of "good specialist" . The doctor paid a lot of attention to sick patients, because he was a good specialist. But do not confuse the application with the relative turnover. Comparative turnover is the assimilation of one thing to another. And an application is when an object is called quite differently .

3) The Union is part of the expression "nothing more"; "Not who else . " For example: This event is nothing more than a pre-planned action. The construction presented in this sentence is a nominal compound predicate. And we see that this member of the sentence is separated by a comma.

Introductory constructions

In some sentences, combinations are not members of a sentence, but are introductory words. They must necessarily be separated by commas on both sides.

1) The union is combined with the following words: "now", "now", "before", "always", "usually", "exception", "rule", "on purpose" and others. These combinations act as introductory words, which are not any members of the sentence. For example: They, as if on purpose, did not rush home at all.

2) The Union is part of the opening sentence. For example: As Katerina correctly noted, the road was particularly difficult. This proposal is simple, despite the presence of two grammatical bases. It is simply complicated by the introductory construction. In this case, the construction in which there is a given union is an introductory sentence. The narrator names the source of the information. The combination is separated by commas.

Comparative turnover and incomplete subordinate clause

Before deciding whether a comma is necessary before "how" , it is necessary to understand exactly what is the difference between the comparative turnover and the incomplete subordinate clause. It can be traced to the following example: Nowhere I felt so good as at home . In this case, the second part is an incomplete subordinate clause. Also, you should not confuse the subordinate component with the comparative turnover, which is a one-part sentence: Writing stories is as difficult as describing the sound of music in words. The second part is a one-part impersonal clause.

Relationship with the predicate

There are many examples where a comma before "how" is not put:

1) The combination is part of the predicate: Time flew very fast, a day like one hour. The comparative particle is part of the predicate and is emphasized with it.

2) The word has a semantic connection with the predicate: The meeting flew by like an instant, that I did not have time to recover. In this case, the comma before "how" is not set, because all the combination with it is a predicate, and the word itself is a comparative particle. Without it, the predicate would lose its true meaning. This award was a gift from above . This combination also serves as a predicate, because without it the sentence does not make sense at all. And a comma before "how" is why it is not put.

Persistent expressions

A comma before the union "how" is not put, if it is part of a stable expression. There are a lot of such examples. After the meeting, we found confidence in the future, because everything went like clockwork . In this case, the combination is part of the compound predicate, which in this sentence is expressed by phraseology. Life should be valued and cherished as the apple of the eye. The combination is also part of the predicate, which is a persistent expression. That is why the use of various punctuation marks here is unacceptable.

A few more features of the use of punctuation marks ...

To determine correctly, before "how" you need a comma or not, you need to pay attention to some more nuances. Is the word "not" before this word or such words as "just", "exactly", "exactly-exactly", "absolutely" or "almost" . If they are used, then you do not need to put a comma. In this case, such a construction will be called the comparative turnover, and in the sentence it will be a circumstance. For example: Nikolai always behaved with dignity, he acted like a real man. If the combination stands for "in the role" , then the comma is also not put: He spoke at the meeting as a teacher of mathematics. In this sentence we mean that a person acted as a teacher of mathematics. In fact, it may not be so.

Thus, we see that there are quite a few nuances in the use of a comma. They need to pay special attention, and then you can easily avoid serious mistakes.