comma before 'nor' [conjunction]: neither after the accident, nor

[pretty girl12]

Hi,

My textbook punctuates the following sentence as follows:

"The victim was neither left alone after the accident, nor after the ambulance took her to hospital."

But, I think comma should not be used since the subject doesn't appear after the coordinate conjunction
"The victim was neither left alone after the accident nor after the ambulance took her to hospital."

Am I right?

Thanks.

 

[Beryl from Northallerton]

I would tend to use a comma there as I find it a little easier on the eye. I don't think it's strictly necessary.

 

[Enquiring Mind]

Strictly speaking, the sentence is grammatically incorrect anyway, though it's the sort of "loose" English you see all the time. The problem is with the "neither .... nor" construction.
The victim was not left alone - either after the accident or after the ambulance ....."

I agree that the comma is optional here, but since the sentence is badly constructed, I would put it in, because without it it's even more difficult to decipher the sense.

 

[gramman]

Hi pretty girl12

I agree that it's a good idea to include that comma, but not a requirement. My reasoning is that there's "a bunch of stuff" (a technical grammarian's term) after "nor."

 

[SevenDays]

Hi,

My textbook punctuates the following sentence as follows:

"The victim was neither left alone after the accident, nor after the ambulance took her to hospital."

But, I think comma should not be used since the subject doesn't appear after the coordinate conjunction
"The victim was neither left alone after the accident nor after the ambulance took her to hospital."

Am I right?
Thanks.

I do think the comma is helpful because "nor" introduces what is, syntactically, a new clause with its own subject and verb. The comma does two things: it introduces a pause (in what is a long sentence) and at the same time "links" the two clauses. The subject and the verb (plus complement) of the "nor" clause have been left out because, semantically, they are as the subject and verb of the "neither" clause. It is a stylistic choice. You can add the subject and verb, and, in this structure, inversion is required:
The victim was neither left alone after the accident, nor was she left alone after the ambulance took her to the hospital.
Cheers