Saturday 2 February 2013

Commas, Ahhhhh!

There are so many rules on how to use a comma and how not use a comma that it can be mind boggling, even for experienced writers.



I have a lot of fights with commas. And how I usually win comes down to common sense--how does that particular sentence read, sound, portray what I am trying to say.

I uses as few commas as necessary because I find that the liberal use of commas can distract the reader from the story.

Comma usage is often a question of personal writing style. Some writer use them liberally, while others use them sparingly. Modern North American style guides now recommend using fewer commas rather than more.

For instance, the use of a comma before the "and" in a series is usually optional, but most writer choose to eliminate it as long as there is no chance of misreading the sentence:

        Before going home, we went around the mountain, played with the dragon, swam in the lake, and ate our cookies. (comma  needed for clarity before "and" if you ate your cookies after you swam in the lake).

        Before going home, we went around the mountain, played with the dragon, swam in the lake and ate our cookies. (no comma needed before the"and" if you ate your cookies while you were in the lake).

Do not use a comma to set off words and phrases (especially introductory ones) that are only slightly parenthetical:

       Wrong:  After dinner, we all played dragon tag.
 
       Right:     After dinner we all played  dragon tag.

Do not use commas to set off  restrictive elements. A restrictive elements is part of the sentence that is needed to make its meaning clear.

       Wrong:  The dragon's ear, on the left side of his head, was curly.

       Right:     The dragon's ear on the left side of his head was curly.

Do use commas to set off  non-restrictive elements.  A non-restrictive element is part of the sentence that is interrupting material that adds extra information---the sentence does not need this element to make sense.

     Example:  The faeries of Dalorme, who for centuries had lived in caves with dirt floors and rock walls, were unfamiliar with the protocol of living in a palace.

     You can also use two other punctuation marks to set off non-restrictive elements: parentheses and em-dashes.

     Enclosing a non-restrictive element in parentheses reduces the importance of that information.

            Example:  The dragons' fire breathing skills (with one exception) were not good.

     Enclosing a non-restrictive element within em-dashes has the opposite effect: it emphasizes the material.
 
           Example:  The dragons' fire breathing skills---with one exception---were not good.

An  what about those very troublesome words:  however, therefore, and indeed.

 Commas—sometimes paired with semicolons—are traditionally used to set off adverbs such as however, therefore, and indeed. When the adverb is essential to the meaning of the clause, or if no pause is intended or desired, commas are not needed.
      Example:  A truly efficient fire-breathing dragon remains, however, a lost dream.
      Example:  Indeed, not one dragon accurately produced the technical elements required in the fire-breathing contest.
but
     Example:  If you cheat and are therefore disqualified, you may also risk losing your dragon scholarship.
     Example:  That was indeed the outcome of the dragon fire-breathing contest.
     
If you, also, use the word also or too, you, too, should offset those words in the middle of a sentence. The  Chicago Manual of Style prefers not using a comma with too at the end of a sentence.

A great place to freshen up your grammar at Grammar Girl:
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

And sincerely, good luck with your comma woes.





11 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It says, this comment has been removed by a blog administrator. I didn't remove this comment.

      How confusing!

      Delete
    2. I wonder what happened to it?!

      Delete
    3. Hi J. G.

      I'm so sorry your comment is missing. I didn't kick you out, well, not on purpose anyway. But in February and March, I was having a high spam problem, and my moderation was set on high alert. The people getting kicked off were those signing in as 'annonymous'. I might have accidently took you off, but I don't remember even seeing a comment from you.
      Anyway, I'm sorry about that. If you stop by again, I promise not to kick you off.

      Delete
    4. Ah, I see. For a moment there I was afraid I may have done something crazy and inadvertently caused its deletion. :)

      Delete
    5. No, the crazy and inadvertently causing its deletion was either me or my computer on high alert.

      Thanks for stopping by J.G.

      Delete
  2. Hi J. G.,

    I never read the "The Scarlet Letter", but I did just finish "Cluny Brown" by Marjorie Sharpe, 1944, and she definitely had a love of commas. Sometimes there were so many commas, I forgot it was all one sentence and had to go back and read the sentence again.

    I think with modern writing, we're getting away from unnecessary comma clutter. I will have a post on that topic soon.

    Thanks for stopping by. Always a pleasure to hear from you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, you, how are you, today?

    I like the post. Nice and informative. Some of it I disagree with, only because it was how I was taught in high school. But, what do I know? I use the Chicago Manual for my questions, but it can be a cumbersome manual to find things in. Thanks for an easier to use post on Commas: Right and Wrong

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I agree with you disagreeing because years ago we were taught different rules about dealing with commas. Modern comma rules are less strict. A person only has to read a 'classic' to see the difference in comma usage compared to a book published now.
      It's all very confusing.

      Delete
  4. Thank you, Diane. I love my comma's too much and my editor is always weeding them out :)

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    1. I know. My editor always axes commas too. But in the end, the sentence reads much better with fewer interruptions. As long as we remember to put in the commas where they are really necessary to make sense of that sentence.

      Those dang commas anyway.

      Delete

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