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

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Trying to get a simple definition of a Dangling Modifier from a grammar source can be frustrating. When I need to look something up, I don't want a complicated answer that makes me more confused that I already was.

So here is the simple definition of a Dangling Modifier with some examples.

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence.

You do have a certain amount of freedom in deciding where to place the modifier in a sentence:

     Sue tamed the dragon easily.
     Sue easily tamed the dragon.
     Easily Sue tamed the dragon.
        
However, you will want to be wary of the misplaced modifiers as their position can modify the wrong thing.  Writing can be greatly improved by paying attention to the misplaced modifier.

The single-word modifiers should be placed near the word or words they modify so that the reader gets a clear message of what you are saying. Consider these sentences:

     [wrong]  After Sue's dragon-speaking lessons, she could understand dragon language spoken by the professor easily.

Does Sue understand dragon language easily, or does the professor speak it easily? 

The next sentence makes the meaning clear:

     [right]   Sue could easily understand dragon language after her dragon-speaking lessons taught by the professor.

It is also important to be careful about where you put limiting modifiers. These are words like "nearly", "just", "only", "almost", etc. Misplaced limiting modifiers can change the entire meaning of a sentence when placed next to the wrong word:

     [wrong] Sue almost ate all of the dragon's food. (she didn't "almost eat" it)

     [right] Sue ate almost all of the dragon's food.

     [wrong] Sue has nearly annoyed every dragon she plays with. (she hasn't "nearly annoyed" them)
               
     [right]  Sue has annoyed nearly every dragon she has played with.

So, the lessons here are for Sue: While easily taming your dragon and easily speaking his language, do not continue eating almost all of the dragon food and annoying nearly every dragon you play with.

More grammar lessons to come regarding: misplaced phrases and clauses; squinting modifiers; split infinitives; and more about dangling participles.

Sheesh, there's a lot of rules in English.

copyright, Diane Mae Robinson, 2012