Punctuation of compound prepositional verb phrases: nothing, commas, hyphens or dashes?
In my English dialect, one can construct compound verb phrases with "and" like: "I cut and boiled the carrots."
This can also be used with prepositional verbs: "He worked for, and stole from, his uncle".
However, I'm unclear as to how one should punctuate this.
Some possibilities:
- He worked for—and stole from—his uncle.
- He worked for and stole from his uncle.
- He worked for, and stole from, his uncle
- He worked for (and stole from) his uncle.
Opinions?
Solution 1:
You say:
In my English dialect, one can construct compound verb phrases with "and" like: "I cut and boiled the carrots."
This is general English. I don't think there's anything regional about it.
This other sentence:
"He worked for, and stole from, his uncle".
is clearly different, not because of the prepositions, but because of the contrast between "working for somebody" (idea of benefit) and "stealing from somebody" (idea of damage). This is, I think, what accounts for your need to separate the second verb phrase (I'd use commas or dashes, not parentheses). This punctuation makes the second phrase parenthetical, to the point that it may sound like an afterthought or rephrasing (actually, rather than work, what he did was steal).
Notice that no such punctuation will be necessary if both actions are more compatible and harmonious:
- He grew up with and worked for his uncle.
Solution 2:
Each of your examples work—whether or not the verb is prepositional—and conveys a different tone (or emphasis) to the reader. You might consider retitling your question to something like, "What's the difference between commas, hyphens, a parentheses with verb phrases?"
Please read Rob H's answer to post in the following link. He does a good job describing the different moods communicated by commas, hyphens, and parentheses. https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/1409/dashes-vs-commas-vs-parentheses
Your second example—the one with no punctuation except the final period—sounds strange because it conveys a matter-of-factness about "working for" and "stealing from" someone at the same time.
Solution 3:
Your examples that require special punctuation are RNR (right node raising) constructions, which mark a missing constituent with an intonation break or pause. In "He worked for, and stole from, his uncle", the objects of the propositions are missing from their original positions. I see a comma used for this, ordinarily.