Please help me with English grammar, especailly punctuation on the following sentence (Thanks in advance):
It is essential that we have a complete, itemized up-to-date bill, whether paid or not, for use at the evidence deposition.
OK.
Sra
Needs a comma after "itemized"
Sure! I'd be happy to help you with English grammar and punctuation. Let's go through the sentence and look at the punctuation:
"It is essential that we have a complete, itemized up-to-date bill, whether paid or not, for use at the evidence deposition."
1. Commas after adjectives: In the sentence, we have the phrase "a complete, itemized up-to-date bill." When you have two or more adjectives describing a noun, it is customary to separate them with commas. So, the comma between "complete" and "itemized" and the comma between "itemized" and "up-to-date" are correct.
2. Commas for nonessential information: The phrase "whether paid or not" is an example of nonessential information, also known as a nonrestrictive clause. This means that the sentence will still make sense without it. In this case, the comma before and after "whether paid or not" is appropriate because it provides additional information but can be removed without affecting the meaning of the sentence.
3. No comma after "bill": There is no comma needed after the word "bill" because there is no further additional information or clauses in the sentence.
So, the correctly punctuated sentence would be:
"It is essential that we have a complete, itemized up-to-date bill, whether paid or not, for use at the evidence deposition."
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.