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Should we use a comma in a sentence like "My failure to appreciate what it was, was the result of me being arrogant"? Or is it redundant here?

I know that the comma splits the subject from its predicate here, but two "wases" don't look nice either.

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  • Yes, use it. While it's true that punctuation should not separate subject and verb, the rule is relaxed in certain cases, such as the juxtaposition of two tokens of the same verb-form "was" in your example. So, leave the comma in.
    – BillJ
    Commented May 3, 2021 at 13:13

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My failure to appreciate what it was, was the result of me being arrogant.

Edit after Bill's Comments

The rule prohibiting separation of a subject from its verb is relaxed in cases such as the juxtaposition of two tokens of a verb-form, like "was".

My preferred form is to have the comma removed, so that the subject is not separated from its verb; there is nothing wrong with having two wases together.

My failure to appreciate what it [was was] the result of [my] being arrogant.

I have changed the pronoun me to the second my; though both pronoun cases are used, I prefer the possessive.

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  • It's true that punctuation should not separate subject and verb, The rule is relaxed, however, in certain cases, such as the juxtaposition of two tokens of a verb-form, such as "was" in the OP's example. Btw, there's no need to change the pronoun; "me" is just as correct as "my".
    – BillJ
    Commented May 3, 2021 at 13:10

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