March 8th, 2010:

Too often, people think of commas purely in terms of right and wrong, correct and incorrect. Sometimes, though, comma placement is a matter of choice. In such cases, the decision to use a comma depends on the writer’s intention. Maybe she wants to emphasize a word by creating pauses, both before and after the word. Maybe she wants to show that some phrase or word is nonessential to the main point of the sentence. Such comma placements may not be grammatically necessary, but they serve the purpose of style.

Consider the following sentence. Here are two ways I can write it. Note that both ways are grammatically correct, but stylistically distinct:

Comma placement sometimes comes down to a matter of choice.

Comma placement, sometimes, comes down to a matter of choice.

In the first sentence, I do not place any extra emphasis on the adverb, “sometimes.” The second sentence emphasizes the word—showcases it—so that the reader is left with the impression that the adverb, “sometimes,” is of central importance to the sentence’s message. It stresses the point that comma placement is a matter of choice, but only in some cases. Logically enough, I call such commas “stylistic commas.” You might also call them “optional commas,” or even “optional stylistic commas.” Think of it in whatever terms work best for you.

How do we know where to use stylistic commas? My method is to think about where I want emphatic pauses, and then to apply the comma rule of thumb. Do you remember that rule from our previous comma discussions? Just to be sure, here is the full version of the comma rule of thumb, with exceptions included:

Comma Rule of Thumb: Wherever you intend a slight pause, usually for emphasis, use a comma. The only exception is if you are connecting two sentences, in which case you need a semicolon to show the pause.

With the comma rule of thumb in mind, think about the following sentences. Consider where I want readers to pause, and how I show those pauses with commas. Also, consider why I want readers to pause in those places.

The community college, in my view, is a valuable resource for non-traditional adult learners.

Commas are simple, once we embrace their complexity.

I enjoy writing, and teaching it.

Notice how, in that third sentence, I placed a comma before the coordinating conjunction “and,” although I did not use “and” to combine two independent clauses. You may recall a past article, where I stated that the purpose of the comma preceding “and” is to show that “and” functions to combine two complete sentences. Although the statement, “I enjoy writing,” is a complete sentence, the phrase, “teaching it,” is hardly a complete sentence. Is this comma placement an error, then? Did I misuse the comma?

No. Though it appears to disobey established rules, I used that comma correctly. I placed that comma to create a stylistic pause before “and”—not to support it as a coordinating conjunction. This comma does not exist for any grammatical purpose. It serves the effect of creating a stylistic pause between two different ideas: (1) writing and (2) teaching writing. I want my reader to see that I recognize writing and teaching writing as two distinctly different practices. That comma (and the pause it represents) expresses that distinction. My reader knows then, that although I recognize them as two distinct practices, I enjoy both writing and teaching writing. The content of my writing (namely, that there is a separation between writing and teaching writing) is reflected by a separation in the writing that expresses that notion. When placing stylistic commas, intention and purpose matter.

Still, situations like this cause a great deal of comma confusion. Armed with the (normally useful) rule that “commas precede coordinating conjunctions to show that they combine two complete sentences,” novice writers encounter a sentence like the third example above, and they are suddenly lost. I can hear them now: “I thought the comma rules said I should place commas before coordinating conjunctions only to show that two sentences are being combined. This is not a case where two sentences are being combined, yet there it is: a comma before ‘and.’ What gives?”

What must give is the notion that commas are always dictated by set-in-stone, all-encompassing rules. One additional rule accompanies every comma rule I have given you up to this point: use commas wherever you think a separation, or emphatic pause, should occur to highlight some word, phrase, or clause. Reading your sentence aloud—the way you want it to sound—and then placing commas where you hear pauses is a good start. The comma rule of thumb will not lead you astray.

Other Options (Dashes, Parentheses, and Colons)

If you find that a sentence seems overburdened with commas, try using other forms of punctuation that set things off (like parentheses, dashes, and colons—but only where appropriate).

Consider the first sentence of this section (the sentence directly above this one). What if I had expressed every pause with commas, as in the sentence below?

If you find that a sentence looks overburdened with commas, try using other forms of punctuation that set things off, like parentheses, dashes, and colons, but only where appropriate.

So many commas! Like mobs of traders scrambling over the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, these commas create an environment of clutter and confusion. Each comma performs its own task, but through doing so, these commas collide with one another and disrupt the clarity of the sentence—the very effect that commas should evoke. This overabundance of overlapping commas can leave readers confused. In cases like the one above, I consider ways that I can use other forms of punctuation to make the various divisions clear and distinct. (See the first version of my sentence—much better, isn’t it?)

Still, be careful to use the best form of punctuation for the tone you are trying to express. Choosing parentheses over commas is not an arbitrary decision—a random replacement in which you say, “Those parentheses look nice here. What the heck?—I’ll pop one in, just because.” Parentheses—though very similar to commas when setting off tangential, interrupting phrases—still serve a distinct role. And, like parentheses, dashes and colons each have their unique purpose.

Here is a very brief breakdown of how these forms of punctuation serve unique roles in setting off interrupting or modifying phrases in sentences:

Parentheses: Set off the interrupting phrase in a subtle tone (as if the writer is whispering an inside scoop into the reader’s ear).

Dashes: Set off the interrupting phrase in a spontaneous, almost exclamatory tone—the total opposite of parentheses.

If parentheses are subtle and quiet, while dashes are spontaneous and loud, consider commas neutral. They emphasize the words and phrases they set off, but they do so in a calm yet firm tone. With the appearance of a comma, there is often a slight drop in pitch, but the tone, although slightly altered, remains neutral.

Consider these forms of punctuation in terms of the scale below:

Punctuation                                      Volume                                    Mood

Dash: exclaimed (almost)                      Loud                                         Bold

Comma: spoken normally                  Neutral                                        Calm

Parentheses: whispered                       Quiet                                    Intimate

Finally, consider the colon. (Two dots, one above the other [:], the colon is not to be confused with the semicolon [;]). The colon expresses equality of two items, whether words, phrases, or sentences. The colon is the equal sign of writing: one reason many dictionaries use it between a word and the word’s definition. (Think about it: a definition is simply a restatement of the word it defines.) Notice how, in the preceding sentences, I used colons, not to set off interrupting phrases, but to create two sides of each sentence. In mathematical terms, here is what I said in that first sentence:

[the fact that] the colon is the equal sign of writing = one reason many dictionaries use it.

Or, consider the parenthetical sentence that followed:

Think about it: a definition is simply a restatement of the word it defines.

By using a colon, I am defining the pronoun “it” as used in my sentence. With that purpose in mind, here is the essential redefinition of “it” in my sentence’s context:

it: [the notion that ]a definition is simply a restatement of the word it defines

A mathematician might prefer to see it written this way:

it = [the notion that] a definition is simply a restatement of the word it defines

Now, with that definition of “it” in mind, I might rewrite the sentence this way:

Think about the notion that a definition is simply a restatement of the word it defines.

Still, this new non-colon version is not nearly as striking as the first version, is it? This new version sounds over explained, and maybe a bit stodgy. Worse yet, it lacks spontaneity and assertion. The first version challenges the reader, in three forceful words, to consider an idea about something that seems familiar and maybe a bit dull, namely, a dictionary definition. It creates mid-sentence suspense, a pause that says, “I’m about to say something thoughtful. Here it comes! Are you ready?” It expresses the notion that the idea is simple, if we stop to consider it. When the reader sees those words, “Think about it,” there is a sense, whether conscious or unconscious, that something interesting and thoughtful (but often overlooked) is on the other side of that colon. The colon puts the reader into a mindset to receive the idea that follows it.

See how that works?

Conclusion: To Comma or Not to Comma?

If you feel that your writing too often reads like an uninterrupted, clinical stream of data, consider some consciously placed stylistic commas. On the other hand, if you feel that commas are a bit excessive in your writing, or that you are writing in a monotone, play with dashes, parentheses, and colons. Each has its own unique place in the writer’s toolbox.

Stay tuned for the conclusion to this series on commas, where I will share an interesting example of how commas can change the meaning of sentences. With that conclusion, we  will bid this handy writing tool farewell, at least for a time. After that, I will leave our discussion of punctuation for a while, to examine the myths of writing that many of us learn in grade-school English.

Here is the link to the conclusion of these comma articles:

• Conclusion: Commas Are Essential to Writing

Christopher Altman, a community-college composition specialist, is passionate about bringing the art of effective writing to average, everyday Americans. He has published work in the field of medieval literature, and has authored a book on advertising language entitled, Telling the Truth to Deceive: How Advertisers Manipulate the English Language. Mr. Altman is an assistant professor of English at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York.