{"id":8599,"date":"2020-10-10T16:01:53","date_gmt":"2020-10-10T16:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/?p=8599"},"modified":"2022-09-19T18:15:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T18:15:38","slug":"comma-before-thereby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-thereby\/","title":{"rendered":"Comma before &#8220;thereby&#8221;: The Definitive Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:150%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}<\/style><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The use of commas in written English may already seem as clear as mud.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, cohesive devices such as pronominal adverbs may also make a learner feel like twisting a knife.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite being intimidating in nature, the function of commas and pronominal adverbs remains hugely the same which is to logically bind words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence for a smoother transition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following sections aim to address a writer or a learner&rsquo;s trouble relating to the above-mentioned topics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always remember that constant practice and exposure make these writing concerns less taxing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n[toc]\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Is a comma necessary before &ldquo;thereby&rdquo;?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To give you a general answer to the question, a comma is necessary before &ldquo;thereby&rdquo; when it is used to introduce a phrase or clause entailing the effect of a prior mentioned condition.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">She has drunk too much coffee, thereby palpitating erratically.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conversely, a comma is not necessary when it is inserted within a clause such as in this famous Shakespearean line from the book As You Like It.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And thereby hangs a tale.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>What do we mean by &ldquo;thereby&rdquo;?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This word is more technically known as a pronominal (relating to pronouns) adverb, whose meaning simply translates to<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &ldquo;by that (condition)&rdquo;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;due to that&rdquo;, or &ldquo;with that being said&rdquo;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is used to refer to or substitute another idea located somewhere else in the sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pronominal adverbs can be usually found in the middle part of a sentence but it could also appear either at the beginning or at the end.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Functionally speaking, it is used to signal the expression of the consequence or result of an action or condition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The usage of this word is primarily done to avoid the repetition of an idea that has already been contextualized or implicated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, let&rsquo;s dive a little bit deeper into its morphology, or how the word &ldquo;thereby&rdquo; is formed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>How is &ldquo;thereby&rdquo; formed?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Thereby&rdquo; is a compound word formed by combining the adverb <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;there&rdquo;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the preposition <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;by&rdquo;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Referring back to its basic meaning which is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;by that&rdquo;, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">we can see that it is<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">arranged in the order of <\/span><b><i>preposition (by) + pronoun (that)<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is also called a prepositional phrase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This order is then replaced by the <\/span><b><i>prepositional adverb (by)<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> followed by a<\/span><b><i> locative adverb (there).<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, the order is reversed into <\/span><b><i>locative adverb (there) + prepositional adverb (by), <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thereby forming the pronominal adverb <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;thereby&rdquo;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See? I have just used <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thereby <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in my previous sentence to explain the effect of the reversal process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Where can we find other pronominal adverbs?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pronominal adverbs are more prevalent in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/the-german-alphabet\/\">Germanic languages<\/a><\/strong> and Old English poetry than in modern text or speech.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence, these kinds of lexemes may be seen particularly in poetic texts or legal documents such as constitutions, contracts, and patent papers at present.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is an example of its usage in the Philippine Constitution.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-quote su-quote-style-default su-quote-has-cite\"><div class=\"su-quote-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">Article 10, Section 11 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that component cities and municipalities shall retain their basic economy and shall be entitled to their local executives and legislative assemblies. Their jurisdiction of the metropolitan authority that will thereby be created shall be limited to basic services requiring coordination.<span class=\"su-quote-cite\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.officialgazette.gov.ph\/constitutions\/1987-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Official Gazette<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means that pronominal adverbs denote a high level of formality which can actually be replaced by more subtle word variations such as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that, therefore, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thus, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as long as the sentence is appropriately restructured.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She has consumed excessive amounts of coffee, <\/span><\/i><b><i>thereby<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> increasing her heartbeats to an unimaginable rate.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She has consumed excessive amounts of coffee <\/span><\/i><b><i>that <\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">her heartbeats increased to an unimaginable rate.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other siblings of &ldquo;thereby&rdquo; are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">therein, thereafter, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> therewith <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">while its first-degree cousins are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hereby<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">whereby<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To have a clearer interpretation, let&rsquo;s go over its usage in easier sentences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>&ldquo;Thereby&rdquo; and commas in simpler sentences<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned earlier, we could explain an action&rsquo;s consequence or result using &ldquo;thereby&rdquo; in the transition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the sentence below, the result of the subject&rsquo;s action is expressed in an adverbial phrase marked by the pronominal adverb <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thereby.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We put a comma before it to clearly delineate what happened to the subject as a result of doing a particular action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also have to remember that, in most cases, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thereby <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-gerund\/\">followed by a gerund<\/a><\/strong> (-ing) phrase or clause carrying the purpose of creating a concise thought.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">Amelia has downed four cups of robusta coffee, thereby palpitating at 105 beats per minute.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next sentence is an example of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thereby <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">being used in a context that denotes similar meaning to the sentence above.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it is already positioned after the coordinating conjunction, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;and&rdquo;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cases similar to this do not require a comma as the distinction of the cause and effect is already coordinated clearly by the conjunction used.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She had consumed too much coffee and thereby increased her heart rate to 105&nbsp; bpm.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&rsquo;s have a look at another scenario that does not necessitate a comma with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thereby.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here, an essential adjective clause is added to emphasize the context which would then denote the outcome in the latter part of the sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thereby <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">appears after the linking verb <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;are&rdquo; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which is a relatively common way of inserting adverbs in sentences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, the purpose of using <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thereby <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is to refer back to an already-implicated idea while introducing the consequence or result at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">Interior design students who create endless plates are thereby prone to coffee addiction.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lastly, let me show you a sentence using <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thereby <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at the beginning of the sentence which means that the writer is more interested in highlighting the condition affecting a particular result.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/icosa.hkbu.edu.hk\/grammar\/sentence-structure\/subordinate-clauses\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the first clause is subordinate<\/a><\/strong> to or dependent on the second one, a comma is required after it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/unnecessary-commas\/\">we do not put a comma<\/a><\/strong> before or after <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thereby <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and its insertion in the clause is also optional.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thereby <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can be omitted and the sentence could still function perfectly.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">Being thereby exposed to classmates who love coffee, Amelia has also become highly dependent on it.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8782\" src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin.png\" alt=\"Comma Before Thereby\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin.png 320w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-561x842.png 561w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-364x546.png 364w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-728x1092.png 728w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-608x912.png 608w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-758x1137.png 758w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin.png\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8782 eager-load\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201000%201500'%3E%3Crect%20width='1000'%20height='1500'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"Comma Before Thereby\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin.png\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin.png 320w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-561x842.png 561w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-364x546.png 364w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-728x1092.png 728w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-608x912.png 608w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Thereby-Pin-758x1137.png 758w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/common-comma-mistakes\/\">Comma usage<\/a><\/strong> simplifies complex sentences while the utilization of pronominal adverbs exemplifies advanced linguistic control.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although having the intent to use these strategies undeniably represents writing flexibility, their misuse and misapplication could also lead to perplexity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, understanding the context and implication is more important than over-relying on transliteration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With these, I&rsquo;d like to end this post by stating that one has to avoid using <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/swag-meaning\/\">complicated words<\/a><\/strong> in everyday conversations unless we are trying to pass an IELTS writing exam, writing legal documents, or improving poetic content.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The use of commas in written English may already seem as clear as mud. Similarly, cohesive devices such as pronominal adverbs may also make a learner feel like twisting a knife. Despite being intimidating in nature, the function of commas and pronominal adverbs remains hugely the same which is to logically bind words, phrases, or &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8607,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"","disable-critical-css":false,"_convertkit_action_broadcast_export":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,1119,1116],"tags":[80],"class_list":["post-8599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-comma-rules","category-grammar","tag-comma"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8599"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8783,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8599\/revisions\/8783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}