Grammar help
Should the comma be removed?
See example:
Job analysis is defined as methods commonly used by managers to gain an understanding of what a job entails, and the type of individual who should be hired to perform that job.
Todd Elston
New member
2 answers 
Yes, the comma should be removed. In a sentence with two main clauses (clauses with the necessary grammatical elements to be their own sentences), the clauses should be separated by a comma. The key here is often a pronoun in the second clause.
[Cindy borrowed my CDs last month], and [she hasn't returned them yet].
However, your sentence has only one main clause. The phrase "an understanding of what a job entails and the type of individual who should be hired to perform that job" is a very long noun phrase-- that is, a phrase that takes the place of a noun. That entire phrase is what managers are gaining. Therefore, a comma is not used.
"Job analysis is defined as methods commonly used by managers to gain an understanding of what a job entails and the type of individual who should be hired to perform that job."
If you feel the noun phrase is too long and there's a possibility of your reader getting lost on the way, you can add a preposition to remind your reader exactly where the separate elements connect back to:
"to gain an understanding of what a job entails and of the type of individual who should be hired to perform that job."
The second "of" mirrors the first one, and tells the reader that "what a job entails" and "the type...that job" are two parts of a compound, both of which link back to the verb "understanding."
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answered May 17 '11 at 15:01
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