editing people, opinions?

[winterbadger]

"this, along with these, does that thing"

The commas really belong there set the central clause off; one wouldn't write "this along with these does that thing." But what is that bugger? It's not an appositive (it's in addition, not describing or elucidating). It's not introduced by a conjunction and forming a plural subject (one wouldn't write "This, along with these, do that thing.") I feel as if I know how to punctuate this sentence and what the correct verb agreement is, but I don't know *why* (or, more accurately, how to describe that clause, or even what the construction "along with" is) and it's bugging the heck out of me.

Comments

Re: subordinate, don'tcha know *wink*

[winterbadger]

I agree, and I'd gotten that far. But *what* is it's construction? It's subordinate, but it's not an appositive; it's not a nonrestrictive clause (removing the clause removes essential information from the sentence). It kind of looks like it's modifying the subject (since it's expanding it). I'm just baffled as to what that clause actually *is*.

Re: subordinate, don'tcha know *wink*

[mazzie.livejournal.com]

does the thing do what it does without the accompanying thing?
are you saying "apples, along with oranges, grow in the desert" or "apples, along with their leaves, grow in the desert?"