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What is the difference in meaning between the following sentences?

English Language Learners Asked by user73175 on December 12, 2021

  1. The author ended his story by saying “life is short.”
  2. The author ended his story saying “life is short.”

Does there need to be a comma after “story” in the second sentence? If so, why?

One Answer

For UK English speakers, there is a difference, a subtle one.

In version 1 the meaning is clearer. It was the author who stated "life is short" rather than these being the last words in the story.

In version 2 the meaning is ambiguous. Here it is not 100% clear whether the author was saying "life is short" or whether these are the last words in the author's story.

I would highly recommend the eventually best book on English prepositions: Seth Lindstromberg - English Prepositions Explained

Answered by johann_ka on December 12, 2021

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