Zoe's Comma.

In response to me saying I could do with a wife to knit me a couple of sweaters, Zoe wrote:

…you could always learn to knit, yourself.

First point:

Well said, Zoe. I am deservedly chastened. If only you’d said ‘you could always learn to knit, yourself, Jeffrey!’ my joy would have been complete. Your voice and the name Jeffrey were partners back in heaven, in the days before you were born one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind. But you already know that, and I’m being silly anyway. The point I really want to make is this:

Second (and primary) point:

My first thought on reading it was ‘Why the comma before ‘yourself?’ It breaks the flow of a sentence that has no natural pauses. But then I thought again. If there’s no comma there, then there’s immediate confusion (however irrational) as to whether the verb ‘to knit’ is being used in its transitive or intransitive sense. Given that consideration, the comma might feel awkward to a British user, but it does perform a useful service.

The humble little comma is the most volatile component of the minefield that is the English language. I wonder whether the Chinese have the same problem.