comma before present participle: from an old dialect, meaning "group"

[8769]

I am taking dictation from part of a radio program in English. The following is where I got stuck.

A "twosome" means two people. The suffix some seems to come from ( )
1. an old British dialect meaning "group."
2. an old British dialect, meaning "group."
​

Which, #1 or #2, do you think would be more natural for the blank above. I listened for the intonational clue, but I couldn't judge which. The speaker is an educated American woman.

8769

 

[born in newyork]

I'd say #2. "Meaning group" is not referring to "dialect" -- that is, it is not a limitation on the word "group", which would suggest no comma -- but rather back to "some."

 

[la reine victoria]

I am taking dictation from part of a radio program in English. The following is where I got stuck.

A "twosome" means two people. The suffix some seems to come from ( )​

1. an old British dialect meaning "group." ​

2. an old British dialect, meaning "group."​

Which, #1 or #2, do you think would be more natural for the blank above. I listened for the intonational clue, but I couldn't judge which. The speaker is an educated American woman.

8769

My choice is #2. But I'm fairly generous with commas.

Seriously, I feel it is needed.

LRV

 

[Nelson Drake]

Funnily enough, I would never refer to a twosome. Two people might be a couple or a pair, but not a twosome. A threesome, however, I might refer to, as opposed to a trio. But a threesome implies three people together for sexual purposes! A trio might be three people playing the banjo or together for anything similarly innocent.

 

[la reine victoria]

Funnily enough, I would never refer to a twosome. Two people might be a couple or a pair, but not a twosome. A threesome, however, I might refer to, as opposed to a trio. But a threesome implies three people together for sexual purposes! A trio might be three people playing the banjo or together for anything similarly innocent.

"A twosome" is a common BE usage.

LRV

 

[Nelson Drake]

Really LRV? Is it a common usage. Perhaps in your experience, but I can't think of an example, other than humorously as in 'the gruesome twosome'...

 

[whatonearth]

Yeah...not sure about it being "common" usage either but it is widely understood. As for the original question, definitely #2. I, too, am a big fan of the comma... ; P

 

[Orange Blossom]

What a word means depends entirely on context.

Twosome does mean pair. When I see the word twosome, my interpretation is that the couple is perhaps friendlier than simply a pair. Threesome means a group of three people who are likely quite friendly with each other. Perhaps they are shopping, bird-watching, out on a nature walk etc.
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A "twosome" means two people. The suffix some seems to come from ( )
1. an old British dialect meaning "group."
2. an old British dialect, meaning "group."

I think the biggest problem is that there is a word missing. I would alter the sentence as follows.

The suffix some seems to come from an old British dialect word meaning 'group'. [and perhaps I would leave out the word dialect altogether].

Meaning really is modifying word, not dialect. The way the sentence was presented, the comma is needed to make clear that meaning is not in fact modifying 'dialect'.

Orange Blossom