implied comma

The implied comma is the part of a sentence that is not spoken, and the clause that follows is also not spoken; however, both the comma and the dependent clause are very much 'communicated.'

Often what's communicated after the implied comma carries much more weight than what was actually spoken.

Here's an example of the implied comma.

Joe Suburbs said, "You can't go to Zoe's house overnight. It's the school year. You're not on vacation."

His 17 year-old daughter, Briannah heard him say, "...you're not on vacation, loser."

For the rest of the evening, Joe Suburbs could not figure out why his daughter wouldn't speak to him and why she was slamming doors all over the house.

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