Common Comma Confusion

Mini Tip

Comma use seem to be a problem for everyone, writers included. Here are a few simple tips to remind you about the correct usage for the most common mistakes of not using commas properly.

Commas always have to be used with speaker tags. They also have to be used when description is added in the speaker tag (the dragon), which explains who Snarls (proper noun) is.

"Get off my tail," Snarls, the dragon, said.

 In the next two sentences,  there is a huge difference when a comma is used:

       "Let's eat Petra," Snarls, the dragon, said.
   
       "Let's eat, Petra," Snarls, the dragon, said.

So, since Petra and Snarls are the best of friends, Snarls does not want to eat her, but he wants to invite Petra to eat with him. The second sentence is correct.

Commas offset not just people’s names but anything (animal or object) in direct address:

     "See here, you crazy crocodile--quit snapping your jaws at me," Snarls growled.

     "Snarls, stop teasing Letgo, the crocodle," Petra said.

     "Hurry, all you knights, let's get out of here," Prince Nastybun hollered.

     "Please, King Longstride, begging your pardon, sir."


Reminder: be sure to capitalize professions in direct address:

        "What are the new rules then, Councilman?"

        "Bring the boat around, Captain."

        "No, Father, I don't like the royal rule book."
   
So by remembering these easy rules, Snarls will not be eating Petra. and Petra will be very happy about that.

Illustration by Samantha Kickingbird

copyright Diane Mae Robinson, 2015

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More on Commas.

Yes, this is my third post on commas. Commas seem to be one of the biggest problems for many writers, and I also have a lot to say about them.

Meaning what you say and saying what you mean.

Meaning is everything, and the comma can  make a big difference in your meaning. Pay special attention to phrases that have because and since in them. Check out the sentences below and see if you can tell the difference in meaning with each pair of sentences:

• I didn’t ride the dragon because you were mad at me.
• I didn’t ride the dragon, because you were mad at me.

In the first instance, my  riding the dragon had nothing to do with you being mad at me, and that’s what I’m telling you. But with the comma, the sentence means I didn’t ride the dragon for the reason that you were mad at me.  In the 2nd sentence, you being mad at me kept me from riding the dragon, which is the opposite of the first sentence’s meaning.

• I have tamed dragons since I was nine.
• I have tamed dragons, since I was nine.

The word since has some different meanings, so by using the comma, you’re being clear. In the first sentence, I started taming dragons at age nine. The second sentence gives the reason I tamed dragons—because I was nine, implying I was at the right age to tame dragons.

So before  taming or riding your dragon, make your sentences clear and edit, edit, edit. That way the reader knows if one character did what they did because the other character was mad at them.

More on the commotion of commas: http://www.dianemaerobinson.com/2013/02/a-common-comma-commotion.html

And more comma common sense here: http://www.dianemaerobinson.com/2013/02/commas-ahhhhh.html

Visit my author's website at: http://www.dragonsbook.com 

copyright, Diane Mae Robinson, 2013

A Common Comma Commotion.

Here is a strange comma dilemma that has been handled in many different ways by different writers. But what is the correct punctuation when there is a question or implied question in a sentence? This is what the Chicago Manual of Style says: Questions are sometimes included within another sentence either directly or indirectly—not as a quotation but as part of the sentence as a whole. A direct question (unless it comes at the beginning of a sentence) is usually introduced by a comma. A direct question may take an initial capital letter if it is relatively long or has internal punctuation. The dragon asked himself, what am I going to do now? Everybody at the palace wanted to know, how will the king handle the dilemma? The royal council had to be asking themselves, Can the king find a solution to the problem, or will the dragon dictate his answer?   Rephrasing  a direct question into an indirect question can make the sentence less awkward. An indirect question does not require a question mark, nor does it need to be set off with a comma. Indirect questions are never capitalized (except at the beginning of a sentence). Some ways to rephrase: The dragon asked himself  what he was going to do now. Everybody at the palace wanted to know how the king would handle the dilemma. Where to find a reliable dragon was the question. Indirect questions do not need a question mark at the end of the sentences just because the word question is in the sentence or a question is implied. I hope this helps you solve a common comma commotion. copyright, Diane Mae Robinson, 2013 Please visit my author's website at: http://www.dragonsbook.com Illustrations by Samantha Kickingbird

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.

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