| Deatri King-Bey |
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| Mother, Wife, Author |
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The
Comma is Your Friend
By
Deatri King-Bey One of the most misused pieces of
punctuation is the comma. If you
litter your manuscript with comma errors, many editors will toss your submission
into the round file. At the
conclusion of this workshop, you should feel comfortable enough to consider the
comma your friend. Sorry, but there
is no fun way to do this. Get
comfortable, and let’s learn about commas. NOTE: A main clause
is the section of the sentence that could stand alone as a complete sentence. Common
Comma Errors Comma splice
A comma splice is
when you have two main clauses separated by a comma.
Do not trust grammar check, it will not always catch a comma splice.
For example, I put a comma splice in the previous sentence that my
grammar check misses. To solve a comma
splice, you should either use a period, a semi-colon, or a comma + a
coordinating conjunction (and but for nor or so yet). Do not trust grammar
check. It will not always catch a comma splice. Do not trust grammar
check; it will not always catch a comma splice. Do not trust grammar
check, for it will not always catch a comma splice.
Fused sentence
A fused sentence is
when two or more main clauses are connected without any punctuation.
Below is an example of a fused sentence that my grammar check misses. Do
not trust grammar check it will not always catch a fused sentence.
Run on sentence
Do you know anyone
who talks all the time, and you wish they would be quiet a few seconds, but you
know they think they will die if they are quiet for longer than a breath, yet
you still pray for a miracle, so now you are stuck listening to them go on and
on. The above is a run on
sentence. Grammatically correct. Punctuation
correct. The only problem is, it
runs on and on. Use
a Comma… To separate main
clauses linked by a coordinating conjunction (and but for nor or so yet) (main
clause), (coordinating
conjunction) (main clause). The
run on sentence gives several examples of how to use the comma along with a
coordinating conjunction to separate main clauses.
The exception to the rule is if you have a short sentence.
In that case, the comma is optional. The
milk spilled and the baby cried.
The milk spilled, and
the baby cried. When
in doubt, throw in the comma.
To set off most
introductory elements An introductory
element can be a clause, expression, or phrase that introduces the main clause.
When speaking, these usually require a pause. (introductory
clause),
(main clause). When
I felt sleepy,
I went to bed. Running,
he tripped over the garden hose. Note: A comma is not
required for a short introductory phrase, but it is usually added for clarity. To set off
non-essential elements A non-essential
element is a word or phrase that interrupts the sentence and does not affect the
meaning of the sentence. The best
way to recognize a non-essential element is by moving it within the sentence. (non-essential
element),
(main clause). (portion of main
clause), (non-essential
element), (remainder of main clause). (main clause),
(non-essential element).
Surprisingly,
comma usage isn’t too difficult to learn. Comma usage,
surprisingly,
isn’t too difficult to learn. Comma usage isn’t
too difficult to learn, surprisingly. To set off non-essential
supplementary information Supplementary
information adds detail to your sentence and can be either restrictive (which
means you must have it in order for the sentence to make sense) or
non-restrictive (non-essential). Only
use commas with non-essential supplementary information.
For example: (portion of the
sentence), (non-essential
supplementary information), (remainder of
sentence) I
wrote a tutorial about commas, which
took me two hours to write, for the online
conference. If
you took out the non-essential supplementary information, the sentence would not
lose any meaning.
Here is an example
using restrictive supplementary information. The authors who
took writing seriously rose to great heights. If
you took out the supplementary information, the
sentence would lose its meaning. The authors rose to
great heights. Which authors? To separate items
in a list Separate a series
containing three or more equally important
words, phrases, or clauses with commas.
The last item should also have a coordinating
conjunction preceding it. The comma preceding
the coordinating conjunction is optional in creative writing but mandatory in
most academic writing. Whether you
choose to use the final comma or not, be sure to be consistent throughout your
manuscript. Below are
examples: Separate a series
containing three or more equally important words,
phrases, or
clauses with commas. Separate a series
containing three or more equally important words,
phrases or clauses
with commas.
To separate
coordinate adjectives Use coordinating
conjunctions or commas to separate two or more adjectives
that modify the
same noun if you can change the order of the adjectives without changing
the meaning. She was a warm,
loving person.
She was a loving,
warm person.
Notice in the above
example you could easily switch the order of the adjectives.
If you have a sentence where you could not switch the adjectives, then do
not separate them with a comma. She asked for the new
registration form. To set off
contrast elements When words, phrases,
or clauses are used to show a sharp contrast or what
is not, place a comma between the
elements. The best way to
understand this rule is to see it in action. The
roller coaster ride was fun,
and scary.
He is from
Nigeria, not
from Liberia.
Note: When using the
word but to show contrast, the comma is optional
if you do not have a main clause on both sides of the but.
Just make sure you are consistent throughout your paper:
The
roller coaster ride was fun but scary.
The roller coaster ride was fun,
but scary. To set off tags sentences
A tag sentence is a
short sentence/statement that conveys an opinion and is placed at the end of the
main sentence. Place a comma
between the main sentence and the tag
sentence/statement. We
have two more weeks of class,
I think. How
many weeks of class are left,
two? To set off direct
address When directly
addressing someone or a group, set it off with commas.
(direct
address),
(main clause). (main clause),
(direct address). (portion of main
clause), (direct
address), (rest of main clause). Betty, hand me the deck of cards.
Children,
be quiet. Hand
me the deck of cards, Betty.
Be quiet, children. When you’re
finished shuffling the cards, Betty,
let me know. To set off a
non-essential appositive An appositive is a
word or phrase that renames the noun directly preceding it. noun,
non-essential appositive,
rest of sentence. Deatri
King-Bey,
the author of this tutorial,
is from Illinois. To prevent misreading
Sometimes a comma is
needed to prevent misreading or add clarity to a sentence.
When using this rule, ensure you actually needed to. Running,
he tripped over the garden hose. My allotted word
count is just about up. I hope you have a
better understanding of comma usage. Feel free to email me
with your questions.
Copyright
©2003 Deatri King-Bey All Rights Reserved Distributing and copying are prohibited without the express permission of the author. |
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