comma after parenthesis: makes a promise to Mark (his collegue), that

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karramella

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english

in this sentence: He makes a promise to Mark (his collegue), that he will be there on time for the meeting.
Where does the comma go?
Before the parantheses ...Mark, (his collegue)...
or after the parantheses...Mark (his collegue),

thanks for taking your time to help!
 
    • I don't think you need a comma at all. Are not the parentheses there instead of the commas? I might be wrong, though.

    Also, colleague is spelt with an "a".

    Cheers.
     
    Hmmmm. I have to wonder about the need for parentheses at all.

    He made a promise to his colleague Mark that he will be there in time for the meeting.

    When you use that, in this case, you do not need a comma at all.

    If, however, you change your word order, the commas are then necessary:

    He made a promise to Mark, his colleague, that he will be there in time for the meeting.

    This second sentence is a bit more ambiguous because the subject of the dependent clause may or may not be seen as the same subject of the independent clause.

    Please note we say either "on time" (meaning at the time agreed upon) or "in time for xxxxx."

    Also, why are you saying "makes" here? Was the promise not already made?
     
    He makes a promise to Mark, his colleague, that he will ...
    Commas necessary.

    He makes a promise to his colleague, Mark, that he will ...
    Some would omit one or both commas.

    He makes a promise to Mark (his colleague) that he will ...
    No commas required, but I don't think it is very good narrative English.

    Edit: Sigh of relief, I think GenJen and I agree.
    If interested in the question of on time or in time, please discuss on the on time vs in time thread, not here.
     
    GenJen54 said:
    [...] Also, why are you saying "makes" here? Was the promise not already made?
    Click to expand...
    This sounds like the entirely familiar news headline or TV drama summary style of grammar.

    In chapter three, he makes a promise to Mark, his colleague, that he will be there in time .....

    The alternative:
    In chapter three, he made a promise to Mark, his colleague, that he would be there in time ......
     
    karramella said:
    in this sentence: He makes a promise to Mark (his collegue), that he will be there on time for the meeting.
    Where does the comma go?
    Before the parantheses ...Mark, (his collegue)...
    or after the parantheses...Mark (his collegue),

    thanks for taking your time to help!
    Click to expand...

    Although I share the concerns about verb tenses, the question is about the need for commas.

    Answer:

    Commas are not necessary in this sentence if you are using parentheses.

    However, it would be better to avoid the unnecessary use of parentheses:

    You could use "... his colleague Mark ...".

    Or you could use a pair of commas instead of the parentheses.

    He makes a promise to Mark (his colleague) that he will be there on time for the meeting.
    OR
    He makes a promise to his colleague Mark that he will be there on time for the meeting.
    OR
    He makes a promise to Mark, his colleague, that he will be there on time for the meeting.

    Robbo
     
    I wonder if "there" is necessary. And wouldn't "colleague" sound better before "Mark"?

    He promised his colleague Mark that he would be on time for the meeting.

    Try the sentence with another word like "friend." He promised Mark, his friend, that. . . or "He promised his friend Mark that. . .

    Just a thought.
     
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