I have recently read a sentence in a story .
The four of you may be proficient, each in your own subject.
I wonder why is the comma used before each. Is the word each adverb or pronoun in this sentence ? Looking forward to your wisdom replies ---
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You're probably trying to accommodate some rule of thumb like 'never use a comma before a prowhatsit'. Here, 'each in your own subject' is a parenthetical (subclass: further detail provided: arguably a deleted resumptive modifier), and parentheticals usually (and certainly in this case) need setting off with one or two commas, parentheses, or dashes. – Edwin Ashworth May 15 '16 at 15:42
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@TrevorD So it's a pronoun or an adverb then, right? – Araucaria - Not here any more. May 16 '16 at 0:49
In this case "each" is used as a pronoun and is the subject of the dependent clause. Edwin is correct that the comma is used because the clause is a parenthetical and requires punctuation to offset it from the rest of the sentence. It doesn't have to be a comma. The sentence could also have been written:
[...] proficient-- each in your own subject.
or
[...] proficient (each in your own subject).
If the sentence continued after the word subject, another punctuation mark would be used to indicate the end of the parenthetical:
[...] proficient, each in your own subject, [additional content]
If I were writing a sentence like this I would use a comma rather than a different punctuation mark because the comma suggests a pause in speaking while other punctuation suggests other things (like a hasty additional comment with dashes or a quiet aside with parentheses).
Good morning Naykhit,
I think "each" is a quantifier despite every, a kind of determiner. Just like Italian, it's used as a singular countable noun.
I hope I draw you in the picture.
Regards, Jack
