comma before present participle / adjective phrase: laughed, lost in
- Thread starter DiDay
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Well the first one separates the 'holding' clause from the closest possible referent. Without that comma, it would be natural to read it as a construction 'her in X doing Y', that is she is in X and she is doing Y. For example:
He imagined her in bed tossing and turning.
With the comma, this reading is less likely - the separation is a sign that the 'doing Y' goes with something even earlier in the sentence ('he'). I don't think you strictly need this comma, but it makes the sentence easier to read in its correct meaning.
The second comma is obligatory, but it's harder to say why. I suppose without it you'd get 'laughed lost' together - 'lost in each other's arms' was the way they laughed, which makes no sense. So the comma separates those, and again it is a sign that the 'lost' phrase refers to something earlier. It relates to 'they', not really to their talking and laughing.
He imagined her in bed tossing and turning.
With the comma, this reading is less likely - the separation is a sign that the 'doing Y' goes with something even earlier in the sentence ('he'). I don't think you strictly need this comma, but it makes the sentence easier to read in its correct meaning.
The second comma is obligatory, but it's harder to say why. I suppose without it you'd get 'laughed lost' together - 'lost in each other's arms' was the way they laughed, which makes no sense. So the comma separates those, and again it is a sign that the 'lost' phrase refers to something earlier. It relates to 'they', not really to their talking and laughing.
