Brace yourselves as we enter the world of the Comma: misunderstood, mistreated and underestimated. The poor sweet baby! (I’m going to stick to the basics here. I suggest that if you don’t know whether to put one in or not, leave it out. Get an editor or G.O.I (Gramma Obsessed Individual) to make the final decision for you.)
When I was young, back in the time of the dinosaurs, we were told to insert a comma where one would naturally take a breath. That was in the days when corsets were de rigeur and extraordinarily long sentences were a sign of erudition. These two factors guaranteed a plethora of commas running rampant throughout the text. Ironically, just when we finally eliminate corsets and develop decent in-halers for asthmatics, so that we’re all able to take decent breaths, the long sentence is no longer fashionable. As it is, the previous sentence is wobbling precariously on the edge of acceptability. If I had my editor’s hat on I’d have found a way to cut it in two. These days less is best.
What is a comma? It’s the full-stop’s poor cousin. It says, “Take a breath, take a small break, but don’t completely stop.” It links words or phrases but, unlike it’s stronger siblings the semi and full colon, it isn’t strong enough to hold two sentences together. This doesn’t mean it’s weak or unimportant – it’s just different. (So, please don’t judge.) The careful application of a comma in the right place will determine the intent of a statement. Put in the wrong place it can drastically change the meaning. Without this cute and curly punctuation mark chaos could ensue.
When does one use a comma?
Lists: The comma separates the individual items in a list, or a series of phrases, thus bringing clarity and a sense of order. The “and” is the indicator that the list is about to end. The conjunction (joining word) performs the same function as the comma, so an extra comma is unnecessary. (See how the comma joined those two phrases? Neat, hey?)
(1) When I have some free time I like to read, watch television, play computer games or soak in the spa.
(2) I had eggs, toast and orange juice for breakfast.
If you wish to add a comment or qualifier after the list, you must use another comma. EG: I wolfed down the eggs, toast and orange juice, while Fred waited patiently.
Extra information: Commas are used in a similar fashion to brackets when a qualifying phrase is added into a sentence. We’re talking about the phrases that, if left out, won’t affect the overall structure of the sentence. EG: The little town, nestled at the foot of Mount Doom, had seen better days.
Other important bits:
(1) Use a comma before a personal name. EG: “Thank you, Kylie,” John said. The name is there to let the reader know to whom John is speaking. It’s an added extra.
(2) Use a comma before “which” but never before “that”. EG: I put it on the table, which was a big mistake. EG: I put it on the table that stood near the door.
I expect most of you know the wonderful example using the panda and the bamboo shoots. But, just in case you haven’t seen it, here it is.
The panda eats shoots and leaves. = The panda consumes the shoots and leaves of the bamboo plant.
The panda eats shoots, and leaves. = The panda consumes some bamboo shoots and then leaves the restaurant.
The panda eats, shoots, and leaves. = The panda consumes some bamboo, fires a pistol, and then leaves the restaurant.
See what power commas have? Use them wisely my friends.
Not to be picky (much! 🙂 ), but shouldn’t the sentence ‘I wolfed down the eggs, toast and orange juice, while Fred waited patiently.’ use whilst instead of while? I always get those two mixed up.
Nothing to do with commas, just a question. 🙂
Only if he was doing it “whilst the vehicle was in motion”.
“While” and “whilst” are synonymous; they can be used interchangeably. However, “whilst” is considered more archaic and slightly pretentious, so many style guides now advocate that it should not be used. It can still found in more “literary” works of fiction or academic non-fiction, but I believe it is rapidly disappearing, along with its friends: amongst and amidst.
Ah, archaic and slightly pretentious: just my kind of word! 🙂
Thanks for the explanation.
Always happy to help where I can. 🙂
Oops, that should be *when* I can. Ha ha. Serves little Miss Know-it-all right!
greetings. Great text and a awesome blog
Thank you, Lana.:)
I have noticed that many younger editors simply take out as many commas as they can, even when this leads to ambiguity. I have sometimes asked one to read a sentence out loud when the comma has been removed. They often read it in a way that carries a meaning not intended, or just jumbles up any meaning. Fear of commas is irrational. They are our friends so long as they know their place.
I was sent the following gem via facebook today: Let’s eat grandma! Let’s eat, grandma! Punctuation saves lives.
Wow, fantastic blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is excellent, let alone the content!
Thank you, Sonny. WordPress certainly provide some wonderful templates.
fairly valuable stuff, on the whole I picture this is worthy of a book mark, many thanks
Im having a teeny problem. I cant get my reader to pick-up your rss feed, Im using yahoo reader by the way.
I’m sorry, but I have no idea why that should be. Perhaps you could use Google Search or Bing to see if others have a similar problem and if there is a solution for it.