Comma, Comma, Comma Chameleon

by Kirsten Macdissi

Commas are probably both the most used and the most misunderstood punctuation mark in the English language. It’s a versatile punctuation mark, with several different legitimate functions, which may contribute to usage confusion at times. Commas indicate a pause in the flow of a sentence, or a separation between items in a series, or mark the beginning of a quote. (See what we did just now?) They are also used after salutations, as in Dear John, or to separate cities from states, as in Omaha, Nebraska. Separating the month and day from the year in a date also requires a comma in American usage: October 27, 2022. These last conventional uses, however, are not the ones that commonly confuse writers.

Most often, it is the pause function of a comma that um, gives us pause. Here are the rules to guide the correct usage of commas:

Use commas after introductory phrases, clauses and words. Words that often indicate an introductory clause or phrase are: after, although, as, because, if, since, when, and while.
Ex. After the rain ended, we could play tennis.
Because I started late, I missed the deadline.

Participial or infinitive phrases at the beginning of a sentence also call for a comma, as for example: Having baked so many birthday cakes already, he never even glanced at the recipe. Or: To get a head start on packing for her llama trek, Louise left the party early.

Introductory words that stand alone are also followed by commas: Well, I guess I had better get going. Or: However, you should always check your gas gauge before leaving. Or: Yes, we have no bananas.

Commas are used to separate clauses when paired with a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet. Ex. Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, but now they look as if they’re here to stay. Remember you must have a coordinating conjunction with the comma to correctly join the two clauses. Using a comma alone results in an error known as a comma splice.

Essential Elements vs. Nonessential Elements

Use a pair of commas to set off nonessential elements in a sentence. How do you know if they are essential or nonessential, you ask? If you can leave out the phrase or clause and still have a sentence that is a clear and complete thought and conveys the necessary information, then the element is nonessential and should be set off with commas.

Example for a nonessential clause: Marcia, who is a ruthless poker player, is my best friend. The main thought is that Marcia is my best friend. Her poker-playing ability is not really essential information for this sentence.

Conversely, if the information in the clause or phrase is necessary for the sentence to truly make sense, then it is essential and should NOT be set off by commas. Ex: The man who lost his wallet returned to the parking lot where he dropped it. The information “who lost his wallet” is essential here to make sense of the sentence.

Clauses that start with “that,” aka relative clauses, are always essential and therefore will not use commas.

Ex. The book that has a provocative title has been banned from many libraries.

The dog believes that he will catch the squirrel.

We have to know which book, and we have to know what the dog believes for those sentences to convey their main message.

Commas Separating Adjectives

Use commas to separate coordinate adjectives of the same noun. Coordinate adjectives have equal status, as opposed to being subordinate, or dependent. The rule-of-thumb test to determine if adjectives are coordinate is the ability to put “and” between them. If you can do that, the adjectives are equal and coordinate.

Example of Coordinate Adjectives: He was a mean, miserly old skinflint.

The baby had a joyous, happy laugh.

Example of Non-coordinate Adjectives: She decided to wear a fuschia tulle dress to prom.

Remember that you can have a mix of both coordinate and non-coordinate adjectives. Again, separate the coordinate ones with a comma, and don’t separate the non-coordinate adjectives.

The bleak, gray winter sky hid the sun. Bleak and gray are equal and coordinate, but gray and winter are not.

Separating Phrases at the End of a Sentence

Use commas to separate phrases at the end of a sentence that modify something in the beginning or middle of the sentence.

Ex. Jasper ran after the Uber, frantically waving.

Helga seemed nonchalant, almost dismissive.

Be careful that the phrase is placed to clearly identify what it’s modifying; otherwise you run the risk of the confusion and utter chaos that results from a misplaced modifier.

While these rules are by no means exhaustive, they cover the most common use of commas in compositions. Remember that the most important use of commas is to make your meaning clear and easy for the reader to understand.

Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

Go Global and Local: Revising the Argument Essay

 

(originally published 5-22-2012 by E. Mack)

We are coming to the end of our term here at MCC, and students are putting the finishing touches on their final papers. Your instructor might have suggested to focus on “global” concerns, and save the “local” revisions for last. But what exactly does this mean in plain speak?

A “global” concern is the big picture of the essay. Are all the elements working together – development, focus, organization – to create a well thought-out essay? First, read the essay (preferably aloud) and only concentrate on the overall large – global – perspective. Answer the following questions, starting with the larger issues and working your way to the more specific. Checking for global concerns requires at least two read-throughs.

On the third and final read, you’ll only check for sentence-level – Local – concerns. Focus only on grammar and punctuation now. Why not fix the sentence mechanics as you check for global concerns? Because often you’ll be adding or cutting large blocks of text. Why correct grammar and punctuation when you’re not sure what will stay or what will go?  Don’t worry about editing until the draft is exactly as you want it. Follow the guidelines below to polish your paper like an expert.

Global Concerns

First Read:

Is the thesis clear and well stated?
Is the overall organization logical?
Are the paragraphs logically structured?
Do the paragraphs utilize topic sentences?
Do the topic sentences relate back to the thesis?
Are transitions smooth between paragraphs?
Are all ideas fully developed?
Are all claims supported with ample evidence?

Once you have determined everything is working well on the first read, go back and read again for more specific global concerns, breaking a long essay into manageable chunks.

Second Read:

Intro:

Does the introduction offer background and/or history of your topic?
Does the reader know immediately what the topic is?
Is the thesis stated after the topic has been introduced?

Body:

Does each body paragraph only discuss one topic?
Does each body paragraph relate back and support thesis?
Does each body paragraph offer ample, well-documented support?
Are transitions smooth between sentences?

Conclusion:

Does the conclusion restate (but in different language) the claim?
Does the conclusion avoid repetition or redundancy?
Does the conclusion end with a call to action, or other appropriate concluding remarks?

Local Concerns 

Now it’s time to concentrate on sentence-level mechanics. Look closely at spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage. Try reading through the essay out of order – conclusion to intro. This slows you down and makes you concentrate more fully on each word.

Third Read

Run spell check. Any red squiggles? Do you understand all the green squiggles?

If you have problems with word confusion – words like their and there, or were, wear and where – use the “Editing” button on the right of the toolbar. Under the “Find,” type in the words you confuse and check to make sure you’ve used them correctly. If you are prone to use second person “you,” run a “Find” on that as well, and any other problem words.

Have you used any semi-colons? Are you positive you’ve used them correctly? A semi-colon is the most misused punctuation.

Commas have rules of usage; don’t just randomly place them where it looks like you might need one. If in doubt, leave it out.

Is all formatting following the guidelines of the assignment (MLA; APA)?

Final Thoughts

Sometimes it’s best to put a paper aside for a day or two to take a break from it and gain a fresh perspective. We often read our essay so much we lose sight of what we are reading. If you’ve followed these steps and you feel you’ve given attention to each detail, let it go. Stand up. Stretch. Say a prayer to the writing fairies and turn it in. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
You deserve it.

 

 

 

Punctuation Road Signs to Direct Sentence Traffic

(Previously published 12-7-1011)

 Are slow children playing?

 Your mother is making broccoli chicken, peas, and carrots for dinner. So is she making one entrée and one side dish? Or is she making one entrée and two side dishes? Or two entrées and two side dishes? Confused? You might have an idea what food you will be eating, but unless you understand how the sentence is punctuated, you might not know how to interpret the menu.

In the example, broccoli chicken has no comma to separate the words, so it is one dish, like they serve at the corner Chinese restaurant. But peas and carrots are separated with a comma, which indicates that instead of one side dish of mixed peas and carrots, you’ll get a side of peas, and a side of carrots. Make sense? Punctuation can change the meaning of your sentences, and if you’re not careful, you might say something you don’t really mean.

Here is a classic illustration of altering punctuation to change meaning:

• A woman without her man is nothing.
• A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Both sentences are punctuated correctly, but both say very different things.

Now look at the following examples illustrating hyphenated words:

1. You will be required to work twenty four-hour shifts.
2. You will be required to work twenty-four hour shifts.
3. You will be required to work twenty-four-hour shifts. 

Hyphens should be used when adverbs not ending in -ly are used as compound words in front of a noun (shifts). The first person will be working several (20) four-hour shifts because a hyphen is used between the four and hour. The second person will be working twenty-four, one hour shifts, as the hyphen falls between twenty and four. The third person will be working around the clock. I hope he gets overtime pay.

In the final examples, Jack may or may not be a good guy. Only Jill knows for sure: 

Dear Jack:

I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy – will you let me be yours?

Jill

Dear Jack:

I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men I yearn! For you I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart I can be forever happy; will you let me be.

Yours,
Jill

One final thought: punctuation – even commas – have rules of usage. There should be no guessing when or where to use any kind of punctuation. Feeling the need to take a breath or pause in a sentence does not necessarily mean you need a comma, but a comma does mean you need to pause. So as your essays are under construction, use appropriate signs to direct reader traffic, and if in doubt, look it up.