Comma
Myths We Learn in Grade-School English: Myth 3–Do Not Begin Sentences with “Because.”
It’s time to tackle Myth #3: “Do not begin sentences with because.” Did you learn this myth—perhaps from a teacher? When? Elementary school? Middle school? High school? (Please, dear reader, don’t tell me you learned this in high school.) Well, no matter when you learned this myth, it’s time to bust it.
Contrary to what many of us learned in grade-school English class, proficient writers often begin sentences with because. In fact, I expect that many writers could not imagine life without this writing practice. It’s especially nice for those times when the writer wants to emphasize the cause by placing it at the beginning of the sentence, which then allows the sentence to culminate with the effect. And, if you think about it, this cause-then-effect approach is more natural in the sense that it represents a chronological order. In reality, causes precede their effects; sentences that begin with because mimic this natural sequence of events.
So, why do teachers perpetuate this myth? Read on.
Reason 1: Children Do Not Know How to Represent Pauses in Sentences
Let’s return to little Billy and his third-grade English teacher, Mrs. Humperdinkle, both of whom we visited in the previous article on coordinating conjunctions. Mrs. Humperdinkle is teaching Billy how to use the word because in his writing. She notices that Billy begins sentences with because in the following way:
I went to Disney World. I liked it a lot. Because of all the rides.
In the example sentence above, Billy shows not only that he does not know how to begin sentences with because, but also that he does not yet understand how to form pauses using commas. He has heard because spoken before, with a slight pause before it, and he represents that pause with the only punctuation he knows: a period.
What Billy really intends, then, is not a sentence-starter because, but a mid-sentence one. Here is the sentence that Billy would write, if he understood comma use:
I went to Disney World. I liked it a lot, because of all the rides.
Unfortunately, Billy hasn’t gotten there yet, but he is working on it. (I hear, by the way, that Mrs. Humperdinkle’s next lesson will cover commas.)
Reason 2: Children Do Not Know How to Use Conversational Fragments in Writing
There’s a second reason Mrs. Humperdinkle does not want Billy beginning sentences with because: he is still learning to differentiate between the conventions of spoken, conversational English and written English. Consider the following spoken conversation between Billy and his mother.
Little Billy has just returned home from school. His mother greets him:
Mom: Hello, Billy. How was school today?
Billy: It was okay. It coulda been better.
Mom: Why? What’s wrong.
Billy: Mrs. Humperdinkle gave me a D.
Mom: Why did you get a D?
Billy: Because I can’t write!
The example above is what I call a “dialogic fragment,” but I’m sure the Grammar Gods have other names for it. The word, dialogic, has to do with things pertaining to dialogue, or spoken conversation. As its name implies, a dialogic fragment is a sentence part (a fragment) that is posed as a full utterance in spoken conversation. It often completes an idea raised by another speaker in a preceding question. (By the way, dear reader, if the word, dialogic, sounds a bit stodgy to you, you might try “conversational fragment” instead.)
But in writing, there is only one person communicating. While good writers do project an imaginary reader, that reader does not exist at the time of the writing. Yes, there are times that writers use dialogic fragments in their writing, but oftentimes such fragments complete a preceding question that the writer has raised on behalf of the reader. Why would writers knowingly commit this grammar no-no? Because they want their readers to hear a conversational tone, of course.
Still, I suggest making this writing gambit sparingly, and only when you feel confident that you can get in your reader’s mind as you write—a practice that I think represents the highest level of writing proficiency. This level of proficiency requires not only skill in writing, but also life experience. It requires a sense of other people, and what they are thinking as they read your words. You can’t just learn this in a college writing course. You have to converse with people. You have to observe how they respond to things you say. You have to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, and note the exchange of ideas, arguments, and dreams. To be complete as a writer, you have to get out there and live.
Needless to say, our friend little Billy is not at that point. He is just starting to understand other people, and to consider them as feeling, thinking beings. Empathy is a very new skill for him, and so too is writing.
In other words: Billy is not ready to begin sentences with because.
Reason 3: Children Lack the Attention Spans to Control Sentences Beginning with Because
Believe it or not, there is yet a third reason that little Billy should avoid beginning sentences with because: he has not developed an attention span that allows him to handle long, complex sentences, especially ones that begin with dependent clauses.
Does all this talk of dependent clauses and complex sentences sound like mumbo-jumbo? I’ll explain:
After speaking with his mother, little Billy goes up to his room to do his homework. He wants to do his English first. (That’s my kinda kid!) Billy sits down to revise his essay on his summer vacation at Disney World. He begins:
I really liked Disney World. It was fun. There were rides everywhere I went. I got to meet Mickey Mouse. It was really just a guy dressed up like Mickey Mouse, but it was still fun. Because Disney World is so big—
Ding. The doorbell interrupts Billy’s writing, and—more importantly—his train of thought. He stops at the sound. A moment later, his mother calls up to him,
“Billy, Jason is here. He is wondering if you want to play ball.”
Of course, Billy would much rather play ball than write. (He’s a kid; who can blame him?) Leaving all thoughts of Disney World upstairs in his room, Billy rushes to the front yard, where he will have a great time shooting hoops with Jason. When Billy returns from playing ball, his mother sends him to the shower. After he is clean, Billy eats dinner. By the time he gets back to writing, it is nearly 8 PM.
Now, where was he? Billy looks at the paper. He sees what looks like a full paragraph, and he sees something that looks like a sentence at the end of it:
Because Disney World is so big.
Billy thinks about it for only a moment, and then he pops in a period and moves on, leaving the would-be sentence as it is. After all, it looks long enough to be a sentence. And, he writes lots of sentences with because—sentences that look just like that one.
Do you see the problem? Even if he had thought to begin a sentence with because, Billy lacks the concentration and experience to control his sentences. He will get there in time, but right now, beginning sentences with because is one-hundred-percent out of bounds.
Now, Mrs. Humperdinkle, in her great wisdom, knows that if Billy is forced to begin with the independent clause and end with the dependent clause, the scenario described above will not occur. Sounds like mumbo-jumbo again? (Sigh—demanding readers!) I will explain.
Here is the full idea that Billy wanted to express in that sentence:
Because Disney World is so big, I did not see all of it.
Here it is inverted, with a few adjustments to nouns and pronouns:
I did not see all of Disney World because it is so big.
Imagine that Billy had tried writing this idea the second way. If he had been interrupted—or if his attention span was simply running on fumes—he would still have the following complete idea:
I did not see all of Disney World.
Sure, I suggest that Billy expand on this idea, by giving both the outcome and the cause, but at least this half of the sentence expresses a complete idea. Writing this way, for Billy, is safe. Billy’s teacher knows this.
But we are not Billy. Adult writers should have strong enough attention spans and mastery over basic punctuation to be able to begin sentences with because, and then to complete the sentence with an independent clause. Just because Mrs. Humperdinkle does not want Billy beginning sentences with because does not mean that adults should do the same. She also doesn’t want Billy driving a car. Does that mean you should turn in your keys and start scanning Blue Book values?
The same is true for writing.
Next up: Other Words Like Because
The myth that we should not begin sentences with because extends to other words, like since, when, and although. So, before moving on to Myth #4, this is a good point to share some thoughts on words like because. Also, if you are wondering what I mean when I talk about things like independent clauses or dependent clauses, rest assured that I will address these points—and others—in the upcoming article.
Here is the link to that article:
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.
Conclusion: Commas Are Essential to Writing
In closing this exploration of the comma, here is a fun example that drives home the importance of mastering this common yet often misunderstood writing tool. The example is slightly modified from an example that Lynne Truss shares in her punctuation handbook, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.
Consider the following sentence:
The woman without her man is nothing.
Not a good statement to make, is it? (When I present this sentence in English classes, I become the target of many an angry glare from female students.) Now, let’s improve this sentence by adding some commas:
The woman, without her, man is nothing.
Two commas—and nothing more—have drastically altered the meaning of this sentence. In fact, this second sentence expresses the very opposite message from that of the first.
Commas matter. Far too often, people think of commas as cute separating squiggles—useful, to be sure, but hardly critical. Transformed completely by the presence of two commas, the sentence above blows popular underestimations of the comma clean out of the water.
Granted, commas may not always make as drastic a change as the one seen in the example above, but they often make for some kind of difference in meaning. And, even if they do not change a sentence’s meaning, commas tell our audience how to read our prose. Commas tell readers where to pause and where to lower intonation. Commas, without taking up any more than a single space of text, identify clauses, phrases, and words that act as modifying asides within larger sentences. Commas play much the same role that rests play in music, and that negative space plays in visual art. Just as absence is essential to music and art, so too is the comma essential to writing. To understand and apply the comma is to manipulate absence, as well as presence, in the art of writing; it gives you control, not only over what is said, but also over what is not said.
With these points in mind, mastering this writing essential is worth your best effort.
Next up: Myths We Learn in Grade-School English
Well, that’s it for commas (at least, for now). It’s time to move on to another subject, one that I find both fascinating and troubling. In the course of our early education in English and writing, many of us learn sets of writing rules, especially in the form of “do” and “do not.” Useful in the early stages of writing, these rules are presented to us as set-in-stone absolutes, and not as practices that are subject to change. But, as we develop as thinkers and writers, these rules begin to seem constrictive and even counter-productive to our writing. Still, so adamantly did our childhood teachers express these rules, that we cringe even at the thought of breaking them.
Do you know what I’m talking about? Here are a few examples I’ll bet you’ve encountered. Have you ever heard a teacher say, “Never begin sentences with coordinating conjunctions like and or but”? Or maybe you’ve heard this one: “Do not ever use the personal pronoun you in your writing”? Do these rules trouble you, given the fact that journalists and award-winning writers frequently commit such taboos to create expressive, moving prose? Do you ever find yourself wanting—or perhaps needing—to break these rules?
If so, the upcoming series of articles, entitled, “Myths We Learn in Grade-School English,” is for you.
Here is a link to the introduction of that series:
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.
Stylistic Commas: To Comma or Not to Comma?
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:
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.
Comma Odds & Ends: Should I Place Commas between Adjectives?
Should Commas Go between Adjectives?
I could have my own fleet of yachts if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this question (well, maybe not yachts—but definitely a few bass boats).
The answer: it depends! (Don’t you just love hearing that?)
What, though, does this decision depend on? Here is a rule of thumb for commas and adjectives:
Comma-between-Adjectives Rule of Thumb: If two adjectives precede the noun they modify, place commas between them if you would place the word “and” there. If “and” would not work there, since the adjectives seem inseparable, do not place a comma.¹
Confusing? An example will serve best:
The painful, frigid winter air bit into Bob’s bones.
Notice that there is a comma between “painful” and “frigid,” but not between “frigid” and “winter.” Why?
Remember the rule of thumb: if “and” can replace the comma, then the comma is correct. Let’s apply the rule to the sentence above:
The painful and frigid winter air bit into Bob’s bones. (correct)
That works, doesn’t it? Now, just to be sure, let’s try adding “and” where we did not use a comma, to see if it checks out:
The painful and frigid and winter air bit into Bob’s bones. (incorrect)
It does not work even if we omit the adjective, “painful”:
The frigid and winter air bit into Bob’s bones.
Ugh. That didn’t work. We’d best leave that second comma out.
Even though I have shared a working rule of thumb for commas separating adjectives, my inquisitive (and demanding) readers may still want an explanation of why commas sometimes fall between adjectives, and why in other cases they do not. The answer is simple, but I think many teachers do not explain it well, since they too often use English grammar jargon in their explanations. Such so-called explanations only serve to accomplish the one thing that explanations should not do—fail to explain.
With that in mind, here is a working explanation for inquisitive minds. Let’s return to our example sentence:
The painful, frigid winter air bit into Bob’s bones.
Now, think about the adjectives, “painful” and “frigid.” They each apply separately to the noun. I could remove one of these adjectives, and the sentence would still make sense:
The painful winter air bit into Bob’s bones. (“frigid” omitted)
The frigid winter air bit into Bob’s bones. (“painful” omitted)
Those still make perfect sense; however, if I remove the adjective “winter,” the sentence would not make nearly as much sense:
The painful, frigid air bit into Bob’s bones. (“winter” omitted)
So, the notion of “winter” is an integral part of the noun, “air.” Sure, the adjectives, “painful” and “frigid” allow the reader to reason that the air must be winter air, but I prefer the sentence that makes this explicit.
How then is “winter” different from “painful” and “frigid” in the sentence above? Remember that “winter” is inseparable from the noun “air,” such that it actually becomes part of the noun. (In some cases, such adjectives become one with their nouns completely, as seen in the nouns, “bighead” and “freeway.”)
Because “winter” becomes part of a larger noun, the noun, in a sense, is made up of both an adjective (winter) and a noun (air). In other words, we are not talking about a thing known as “air.” We are talking about a thing called “winter air.” And that noun, “winter air,” is modified by two separate adjectives: “painful” and “frigid.” We can see it better if we restructure the sentence this way:
The winter air that bit into Bob’s bones was both painful and frigid.
Notice, in both versions of the sentence, that the adjectives “painful” and “frigid” modify, not merely the word “air,” but the adjective-noun combination, “winter air.” If we were to place a comma between “winter” and “air,” the adjective “winter” would be grouped with the adjectives that define it, and not with the noun.
Here is a third example. Think about the difference between those adjectives that are divided by commas and the one that is not:
Josie lives in a stylish, spacious loft apartment.
Think about it with the sentence reorganized:
Josie lives in a loft apartment that is stylish and spacious. (correct)
But not:
Josie lives in an apartment that is stylish, spacious, and loft. (incorrect)
The following diagram shows how these adjectives function in the two sentences above. Notice how the comma placement changes the function of the third adjective:
See how that works? In the top diagram, the adjectives, “stylish” and “spacious” modify “loft apartment.” In the bottom diagram, the adjectives (and so-called adjectives), “stylish,” “spacious,” and “loft” modify “apartment.” Of course, “loft” is not an adjective, at least in the sense that it appears in that second diagram. That’s why it should not be treated like the other two adjectives. It functions as part of the noun, and by virtue of belonging to the noun, it receives the description of the other two adjectives.
Here is one more example:
Jack chewed on some numbing, refreshing ice cubes.
This sentence says:
The ice cubes were numbing and refreshing.
It does not say:
The cubes were numbing, refreshing, and ice.
Also, if “ice” should be one of the comma-separated adjectives, we can remove it and the sentence will still make sense. Let’s try it:
Jack chewed on some numbing, refreshing cubes.
Or, if we remove all three comma-separated adjectives, we are left with:
Jack chewed on some cubes.
Personally, I enjoy chewing on ice cubes, but not on cubes in general. Rubik’s Cubes are fun to solve (or to try to solve), but I prefer not to chew on them. (Many dogs, though, would passionately disagree with me on this matter.) So, unless we want our readers to think Jack is a canine (or that he is incredibly eccentric), we should specify that these things he is chewing on are not merely “cubes,” but that they are “ice cubes.” In this sentence, the idea of a cube should not be separated from the adjective, “ice.” By placing a comma between “ice” and the other two adjectives, the writer would effectively group “ice” with that series of comma-combined adjectives, and not with the noun, “cube.” That would be a bad move, unless the writer was discussing a dog chewing on cubes that are defined by the adjective, “ice.”
(Maybe that could become a new slang word: “Yeah, I’m tellin’ ya: these cubes are ice, bro. You gotta try some if you wanna be ice.”)
To recap, here are our rules for commas and adjectives:
1. If the word “and” can go between two adjectives without disrupting the meaning of a sentence, you can place a comma there.
2. If the adjective is an integral part of the noun, and if removing it would cause the noun not to make sense alone, then you should not separate it from another adjective with a comma. It should be considered part of the noun, which means that the adjective—along with the noun—is modified by the other adjectives.
3. If the adjective describes the noun, but is not integral to the noun’s meaning, you should separate that adjective from the other non-integral adjectives with a comma.
Coming up: Stylistic Commas
Before concluding this series on commas, there is one more comma point that I should address. We often hear about commas as things that are purely right or wrong, correct or incorrect. While there are plenty of cases in which commas are a matter of right and wrong, there are just as many cases where commas are a matter of choice. We might call such commas “stylistic commas.”
I will address these points in the upcoming article, “Stylistic Commas: To Comma or Not to Comma?” Stay tuned.
Notes:
¹To give credit, this rule of thumb is not original to me. I took it from C. Edward Good—one of the best teachers of grammar and just about anything related to language. Specifically, this rule is taken from Good’s book, A Grammar Book for You and I (Oops, Me!): All the Grammar You Need to Succeed in Life.
Here is a link to Amazon’s listing of Good’s book. Check it out:
Christopher Altman, a community-college composition specialist, is passionate about bringing the art of effective wri
ting 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.
Comma Odds & Ends: Using Commas with Other Forms of Punctuation
Commas and Quotation Marks
In American English, if you are using a quote that is directly followed by a comma, place the comma inside the quotation marks. Do this even if the comma is not part of the quote.
(Note: this is true as well for periods; however, it is not true for question marks, exclamation points, colons, and semicolons. If any of those four is part of the quotation, place it inside the quotation; however, if it is not part of the quote, put it outside the quotation marks.)
Here is an example of placing a comma that occurs just after a quote:
Example: Paul Harvey concluded with his usual closer, “And that’s the rest of the story,” a line that delights me even now, as I hear it in my mind.
I know, I know: this doesn’t make sense. Why put something inside a quote, if it is not part of the quote? And heck, doesn’t this defeat the entire purpose of quotation marks, since they are supposed to differentiate between what is part of the quote and what is not? (Sigh.)
Well, the British agree with me, so they place the comma outside the quotation marks, which shows that it is not part of the quote:
Example: Paul Harvey concluded with his usual closer, “And that’s the rest of the story”, a line that delights me even now, as I hear it in my mind. (British English)
Still, even if our friends across the pond have a more logical approach than ours, those of us writing in the States should stick with the conventions of American English. (However, even if you are an American, make sure to use British comma placement if you are writing for a British audience.)
Commas and Parentheses
If you use a parenthetical phrase mid-sentence where a comma occurs (which happens frequently in my writing, as you may have noticed), always place the comma after the parenthetical phrase (as seen in this sentence and in the examples below).
Example (correct): Since commas are important to writing (as pauses are important to speech), you should never neglect to use them in your prose.
Example (incorrect): Since commas are important to writing, (as pauses are important to speech) you should never neglect to use them in your prose.
There is sound logic behind this comma placement. In the sentence above, the parenthetical phrase, “as pauses are important to speech” is in response to the clause, “since commas are important to writing.” To show that the parenthetical phrase is to be grouped with that preceding clause, the comma encloses the parenthetical material within the clause. In this sense, the comma enables the clause to swallow up the parenthetical phrase. In effect, the parenthetical material becomes directly linked with the clause it modifies, and not with the clause that follows.
Commas and Periods
In rare cases, writers are faced with situations in which they must place a comma after a period. To the novice eye, placing a comma directly after a period looks odd, so new writers often hesitate at the thought of this particular comma placement.
How is this handled? Simple: Just set aside your fears and boldly place the comma after the period. Look at the example below.
Example: To show real-life examples of effective writing, I often cite the work of Martin Luther King Jr., which is why I keep a copy of his collected writings near my desk.
Related point: this practice does not apply to periods at the ends of sentences. If you have a situation that seems to call for two adjacent periods, do not use two periods. Simply write one period, and it will do double-duty by serving both functions. Consider the example below, in which I have simplified the sentence above so that “Jr.” comes at the end of the sentence. Notice that the single period of that sentence serves two functions: (1) it acts as the period for abbreviating the title, “Junior,” and (2) it acts as the period to end the sentence.
Example: To show real-life examples of effective writing, I often cite the work of Martin Luther King Jr.
Now let’s throw a parenthetical phrase into the mix, to see how it is handled with the ending period:
Example: To show real-life examples of effective writing, I often cite the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. (one reason I keep a copy of his collected essays near my desk).
In that case, I use two separate periods, since the two periods are not adjacent, but separated by the parenthetical phrase. See how that works?
Instructive Point: Did you notice that I placed a comma before the title, “Jr.” in the last example, but not in the two examples that precede it? Which is the correct way–Martin Luther King, Jr. (comma), or Martin Luther King Jr. (no comma)? The answer: it’s your choice. The comma that precedes titles like “Jr.” and “Sr.” is optional. I prefer to use it, so long as it does not disrupt the sentence. I omitted it from the first two sentences, since I did not want it to distract my reader from the comma placement I was discussing in those example sentences. Otherwise, my default is to include the comma, since it shows a slight change in pitch that occurs with such titles.
Further Reading on Comma Odds and Ends
If you are interested in knowing more about these odds & ends of comma usage, I recommend the following books, which continue to inform my own teaching and writing. Click on the links below to view these books on Amazon.com.
I recommend both of these books for your library. (In fact, you should keep them near your desk if you plan to do any amount of serious writing.) Although they both cover punctuation, these two books are very different from one another. Comma Sense is, in my opinion, the better, simpler read. However, The New Well-Tempered Sentence (which is still a great read) is the more comprehensive of the two books .
With those differences in mind, I recommend reading these books as companions. (That is, after you read the chapter on commas in one book, read the other book’s chapter on commas, and do the same with the other corresponding chapters.) If you read in this way, read the chapter from Comma Sense first, and the chapter from The New Well-Tempered Sentence second. If you must choose only one, I recommend Comma Sense for those who are new to punctuation, but I recommend The New Well-Tempered Sentence for advanced writers.
We are nearing the end of these conversations on commas. The next article will cover the use (or lack) of commas between adjectives. After that, we will discuss the stylistic use of commas, and then conclude this series on commas.
To go to the next article, which covers using (and not using) commas between adjectives, click the link below:
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.
Comma Odds & Ends: The (Optional?) Oxford Comma
What is the Oxford Comma?
One frequent application of the comma is placing it between items in a series (that is, a list of items). For example, consider the sentence below. Notice that the last comma of the series (the one just before “and”) is optional:
Future articles will cover colons, semicolons, and dashes. (final comma included)
I could just as easily write:
Future articles will cover colons, semicolons and dashes. (final comma omitted)
Both of the sentences above are perfectly clear and acceptable. That extra comma, optional in the case above, is called the “Oxford comma.” (Some refer to it as “the serial comma.”) Examples like the one above have sparked some controversy, even among the Punctuation Gods, over whether the inclusion of the Oxford comma should be standard.
While the Oxford comma is often optional, there are cases in which its presence is necessary to the sentence’s message. Consider the two sentences below, from an example sentence we examined in a previous article, “Comma Function: Commas Separate Things.” Notice that these two sentences differ only in comma placement:
1. I enjoy experiencing movies and writing.
2. I enjoy experiencing, movies, and writing.
What am I saying here? It depends on which sentence you read. In the first sentence, I am saying:
I enjoy experiencing movies and experiencing writing.
In the second sentence, I make an altogether different statement:
I enjoy the act of experiencing, the act of seeing movies, and the act of writing.
But what happens if, when trying to express the point that I enjoy these three activities, I place the first comma, but omit the Oxford comma before “and”? Let’s try it:
I enjoy experiencing, movies and writing.
This nonsensical sentence doesn’t really express anything. Speak it aloud, pausing at the comma. Here is how it sounds:
I enjoy experiencing [pause] movies and writing.
So, if I want to express the notion that I enjoy those three things—namely, (1) experiencing, (2) movies, and (3) writing—I must include that Oxford comma. In this case, it is not merely optional. If I never include the final comma in this series, and if I follow that rule in the sentence above, there is no way to know what this sentence states.
Even in cases involving two items, an extra comma is sometimes needed to make a distinction. Think about this seemingly simple statement:
I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
There are two ways to read this sentence. Am I saying here that (1) I like sandwiches that contain both peanut butter and jelly, or (2) I like jelly sandwiches and peanut butter? To avoid such ambiguity, I might add a clarifying comma, even if the usage is irregular:
I like peanut butter, and jelly sandwiches.
Still, my first choice in this case would be to invert the two direct objects by saying,
I like jelly sandwiches and peanut butter.
That last revision demonstrates how, in matters of grammar and punctuation, there’s often more than one way to skin a ca—ugh: I’ll avoid that rather disgusting metaphor. (I always wondered why the idea skinning some unfortunate cat has become a metaphor for finding a way to complete some task. Is that a daily life goal for some people? I can hear it now: A wife asks her husband,”What are you doing, honey?” His reply: “Oh, I’m just going to pick up the kids, rent a movie, skin a random cat, and buy some medicine—you know, the usual stuff. What are you doing today, Sweetplums?”)
The Argument Against the Oxford Comma
I should mention that there are cases in which the Oxford comma is not optional, in the opposite sense: sometimes, writers must omit it to express the message they intend. Consider the sentence below:
I offer this series of articles for my readers, my students, and anyone interested in language.
In the sentence above, the second comma could throw a syntactical monkey-wrench into my message if I am trying to express the notion that the group of people known as “my readers” consists of my students and anyone interested in language. If I want to express that notion, I should omit the Oxford comma:
I offer this series of articles for my readers, my students and anyone interested in language.
Citing examples like the sentence above, opponents of the Oxford comma argue that the default (omitting the comma) errs to the side of caution in avoiding the ambiguities that the additional comma sometimes creates. This too is a valid approach.
Note: Observant readers will notice that the pro-comma people could argue the opposite position: if the writer was trying to express the idea that the articles are for (1) readers, (2) students, and (3) anyone interested in language, the practice of omitting the comma prevents this. If both approaches leave room for ambiguity, which approach should we follow? (More on that, a couple paragraphs down.)
My Position: Conscious, Case-by-Case Writing
My personal position is that omitting the Oxford comma causes more trouble than it avoids. In my experience, most cases of ambiguity are caused, not by the presence of the additional comma, but by its absence. Still, this rule is not an absolute. When all is said and done, finding your position on the Oxford comma debate is a matter of conscious writing. If you decide to include the Oxford comma as a default practice, just be aware that there are cases where that final comma disrupts the notion you are trying to express, and that you should make exceptions in those cases. Likewise, if omitting the Oxford comma is your default, just remember that sometimes you will need its presence to express the notion you are trying to write. No matter your side on the Oxford comma debate, always be prepared to allow for the exception.
Also, regardless of your Oxford comma default, don’t get too caught up in the dogma of your position, as this may limit your perspective and blind you to other possibilities. Consider again the last sentence we explored. While some might argue over whether to include the Oxford comma, I might step out of that debate entirely by rewriting the sentence using a colon:
I offer this series of articles for my readers: my students and anyone interested in language.
Or, since writing is meant to be read, I might try avoiding the tautology of saying I offer my articles for readers (duh!) by writing the sentence this way:
I offer this series of articles for my students and for anyone interested in language.
And, if I want a pause for emphasis, I will try a stylistic comma (not the same as the Oxford comma):
I offer this series of articles for my students, and for anyone interested in language.
If I want that pause to lend more spontaneity to the sentence, I might try a dash instead:
I offer this series of articles for my students—and for anyone interested in language.
If a subtle, whispering tone is my aim, I might try a parenthetical phrase:
I offer this series of articles for my students (and for anyone interested in language).
Or, I might aim for something completely different:
This series of articles is not just for students; it’s for anyone interested in language.
All of those sentences are improvements over the original. There is no question as to the message they convey. These improvements demonstrate why developing a toolbox of punctuation is important. While the comma is an excellent clarifying tool, it is not the only tool at our disposal.
This relates to a truth I have found about writing: there is no rule of writing that takes the place of consciously considering the message you are trying to express in a given sentence. The best writers consider each idea and sentence they write on an individual, case-by-case basis, and then they write accordingly. Although they recognize rules as helpful general guidelines, such writers never lean lazily against any writing practice. With that thought in mind, feel free to practice a default, but do not sacrifice versatility and consciousness for tradition and dogma. Writing practices should serve your purposes; you should not serve theirs.
The next article covers ways that the comma interacts with forms of punctuation, like quotation marks or parentheses. If a parenthetical phrase occurs at the end of a clause that is set off by a comma, should the comma go before or after the parenthetical phrase? And what about quotation marks and commas: if a comma occurs at the end of a quote, does it go inside or outside the quotation marks? Why do some writers place the comma inside the quotes, while others place it outside?
I will answer these questions in the upcoming article, “Comma Odds & Ends: Using Commas with Other Forms of Punctuation.”
Here is the link to that article:
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.
When Commas Collide: Confusion over Closely Placed Commas
Here, once again, are the four essential comma functions:
1. Commas show slight pauses.
2. Commas set things off from the main line of a sentence.
3. Commas show a slight drop in pitch.
4. Commas separate items from one another
Sometimes, these comma functions run together. The untrained eye sees commas as just that: commas. He does not see how two commas in a sentence are setting off an interrupting phrase, while another nearby comma is separating items in a list. He sees only one running group of commas, but that grouping makes no sense. I contend that these situations are to blame for the generally held myth that commas are confusing and too variable to understand.
What do I mean by the notion of commas running together? An example will serve best:
Bob, the adjunct I mentioned earlier, teaches courses, and he performs other duties, including course planning, committee work, and student advising.
Now, notice that these commas occur in relatively close proximity of each other. This might cause the reader to think, for example, that I am setting off the phrase, “teaches courses,” from the main line of the sentence. But that’s not at all what I am doing. Those two commas are not acting as a paired group to set off “teaches courses.” Just to know for sure, let’s remove the phrase to see if it is not part of the sentence’s main line:
Bob, the adjunct I mentioned earlier and he performs other duties.
That omission didn’t work out very well, did it? It didn’t work because those two commas—although very close in proximity—are performing two separate roles. The first comma (the one before the word, “teaches”) is acting as the closing comma for setting off the phrase, “the adjunct I mentioned earlier,” from the main line of the sentence. It applies backward to the previous phrase—not forward to the following one. The second comma (the one that occurs between “earlier” and “and”) serves the role of strengthening the coordinating conjunction, “and” (since “and” is combining two complete sentences). The commas are like two employees from different companies, who—as chance would have it—are working in town within just a few feet of one another. Understandably, a passerby might confuse them as working together on the same project, when—in fact—they are doing two very different tasks.
Notice my last sentence, the one that ends the paragraph above. Why did I use dashes to set off “in fact”? Here is the sentence, rewritten with commas instead of dashes to set off the prepositional phrase, “in fact”:
Understandably, a passerby might confuse them as working together on the same project, when, in fact, they are doing two very different tasks.
As the rewrite above shows, I chose dashes in the original version to avoid this kind of comma confusion. With commas, the sentence is cognitively confusing. Also, it’s just plain ugly: it looks choppy and broken. It looks confusing, and it is confusing. Revisiting our analogy of the two workers, using dashes to set off “in fact” is the equivalent of the two employees wearing distinctly different uniforms, so people do not become confused as to the companies they represent. (We will explore this use in later articles on dashes and parentheses. Stay tuned.)
So, keep the example above in mind as you use commas in sentences. Such close-proximity comma confusion is unavoidable at times, but try to minimize it in your prose. The key is to use all tools at your disposal (like dashes, parentheses, and semicolons) to make the reading experience as clear and smooth as possible for your audience. If that fails (and sometimes it does), you may simply have to restructure the sentence so the commas do not fall so close together that they collide. That may sound like a lot of effort, but trust me: your readers will thank you for it by reading on and experiencing your ideas, opinions, and dreams.
With the essential comma functions covered, it’s time to examine some of the specific practices of comma placement. For example, should we include the final comma in a list (that is, the comma that comes before the word, “and”)? If a parenthetical phrase occurs at the end of a clause that is set off by a comma, would the comma go before or after the parenthetical phrase? And what about quotation marks and commas: if a comma occurs at the end of a quote, does it go inside or outside the quotation marks? Why in some writing is the comma inside the quotes, while in other writing it falls outside? Is there any method to all this madness?
I will answer these questions and more in the upcoming set of comma articles: Comma Odds & Ends. Here is the link to the first article in that series:
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.
Comma Function: Commas Separate Things
Before examining the final comma function, let’s review the running list of essential comma functions:
1. Commas show slight pauses.
2. Commas set things off from the main line of a sentence.
3. Commas show a slight drop in pitch.
There’s still one more comma function left for us to explore, and in a sense, it’s the most essential function. Here it is, in all its grand complexity:
Commas separate things.
We have explored how commas separate modifying elements (words, phrases, and clauses) from the main line of a sentence. In a very general sense, when I say, “Commas separate things,” I could mean that such separations include the divisions between those modifying elements. With functions 1 and 3 in mind, I could mean that commas separate things (like modifying elements) by representing slight pauses and drops in pitch. So, in this general sense, the notion that “commas separate things,” serves as the all-encompassing comma function.
In this article, though, I intend this rule in a very specific sense. With that in mind, I will modify the rule a bit:
Commas separate items to show that they are to be considered as individual things.
Commas Separate Items in Lists
This function applies when we use commas to separate items in a list (also called, “items in a series”). Consider the example below:
The series on apostrophes explores possessives, contractions, and s-ending nouns.
Notice the commas in the sentence above. They act as visual guides to the reader, to express the notion that the three items are separate and distinct from one another, but that they are still connected in the sense that they are all explored in the series on apostrophes. (Paradoxically, the comma combines things, even as it divides them.) If the sentence is spoken, those commas become pauses that allow the listener to hear the separations.
But are these commas necessary? After all, the reader could get by without the aid of those commas in determining that the items are separate. Here is the sentence, without the commas:
The series on apostrophes explores possessives contractions and s-ending nouns.
Even if we can perceive these separations without the help of dividing commas (and I think most readers can, with varying degrees of effort), this second sentence requires more thinking on the part of the reader—and it’s not the kind of thinking we want readers to do. It makes the reader do a double-take. Yes, the reader can get by. However, getting by is most assuredly not what we want for our readers. We want to serve our readers with prose that guides them smoothly and seamlessly through our ideas and assertions. If readers do not feel well served, they will turn away from our writing and find something better to read. And that’s the last thing we want.
Although I discuss them here as an element that writers use to serve readers, such dividing commas are not merely a matter of preference. The use of dividing commas is a set-in-stone rule of writing. However, it is also a tried-and-true rule, one that exists for good reason: clear communication.
In some cases, separating commas are absolutely necessary to the meaning of sentences. In such situations, the reader cannot even manage get by in understanding the prose’s essential message. For example, consider this sentence:
I enjoy experiencing movies and writing.
What am I saying here? Am I saying that I enjoy three acts (experiencing, movies, and writing), or that I enjoy two acts (experiencing movies and experiencing writing)? There is yet another possibility: I could be saying that I enjoy (1) the act of writing and (2) the act of experiencing movies.
Which of these three messages do I intend? Without the aid of commas, there is no way to know for sure. The reader, if given no clarifying context, has no way of knowing for sure what this sentence states. She is left with three possibilities. As she continues to read, she can only ponder which possibility she is reading about in later sentences and paragraphs. (Think about that: the lack of commas causes harm, not only in the example sentence, but the sentences and paragraphs that follow it.) What reader wants that?
In addition to separating items in lists, commas separate other things. Commas separate elements within a date, specifically the day of the month and the year:
Christopher Altman’s birthday is November 18, 1977.
(Note: Do you hear the pause between “18″ and “1977″? Do you hear the slight change in pitch?)
(Additional Note: November 18 is my actual birthday. Mark it on your calendar and send me a present when that date rolls around.)
Commas Make Long Numerical Expressions Easy to Read
Commas also serve a very important function in writing large numbers: they separate numbers into sets of three digits to help the reader differentiate between large number groups like millions, billions, trillions, and so on. Here is an example of a number without commas:
Over the course of the last fiscal year, the company earned $40927943.00.
Ugh. That’s hard to read. Now, try this one:
Over the course of the last fiscal year, the company earned $40,927,943.00
Unless you are very good with numbers, I expect you had a great deal of trouble figuring out if that first number was in the 40 millions or the 400 millions. In fact, I’ll wager that many readers attempting to identify that comma-less number would identify it by mentally grouping the numbers, from right to left, into sets of three. The comma does that for the reader, allowing her to know the identity of large numbers, at a glance. Yet again—even with numerical expressions—the comma functions to serve our readers.
As a courtesy to our readers, we should apply this rule even to easy-to-read four-digit numbers:
Bob, an adjunct English instructor, earns about $2,300.00 for each course he teaches.
Commas Precede Coordinating Conjunctions to Combine Two Sentences
The last use of the comma’s dividing function I will discuss has to do with coordinating conjunctions. Commas should come before coordinating conjunctions whenever the coordinating conjunctions combine two complete sentences. (Coordinating conjunction examples: and, but, yet, so, or, nor, etc.)
Here is an example:
Last year, Bob taught three literature courses, and he served on the department’s hiring committee.
Notice that I am using “and” to combine two complete, stand-alone sentences:
1. Bob taught three literature courses
2. He served on the department’s hiring committee.
The comma acts as a dividing agent, in that it adds additional force to the conjunction “and.” It says to the reader, “I am combining two big things here—sentences that could stand alone. Beware, reader: this single sentence involves, not one, but two complete (but related) messages.” It says, “Pause before this ‘and‘ to recognize that you are about to read another complete, stand-alone idea.” All that—from a comma!
Here is a sentence that expresses the same essential idea. Notice, though, that it does so with the use of a compound verb:
Bob taught three literature courses and served on the department’s hiring committee.
Now, notice that there is no comma before “and.” That is because “and” is not combining two complete sentences. It combines two verb phrases:
Bob . . .
1. taught three literature courses
and
2. served on the department’s hiring committee
The presence (or lack) of a comma in the sentences above acts as a visual cue to the reader to know what is to come in the sentence.
Well, that’s it for comma functions—almost. Before moving onto other things comma, we should explore one more consideration about comma functions: are comma functions ever at odds in sentences? Can that cause confusion for readers? To find out, read the next article, “When Commas Collide: Confusion over Closely Placed Commas.”
Here is the link:
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.
Comma Function: Commas Show a Slight Drop in Pitch
In addition to showing pauses, commas can represent slight drops in pitch. On rare occasions, commas serve this purpose even when there is no pause.
Here is a good example:
You are going to see that new Avatar movie? I want to go, too.
The comma in the sentence above does not direct the reader to pause before “too.” Most people, I expect, would not read the sentence aloud this way:
I want to go [pause] too.
So, what does that comma do? Read the sentence aloud. And, make sure to play the part: imagine that you are the would-be moviegoer, and that you sincerely want to catch that new blockbuster flick. Notice that there is a change in intonation there, when speaking the adverb, “too.”
The comma shows this change, regardless of whether there is a pause. Most often though, commas show both a slight pause and a slight change in pitch or tone. Knowing this dual function of commas is a useful tool for composing natural, readable prose.
Here our running list of essential comma functions:
1. Commas show pauses
2. Commas set things off from the main line of a sentence
3. Commas represent a slight drop in pitch (discussed in this article)
There is one more essential function of commas left to explore:
Commas separate things.
In a very general sense, this is the most essential comma function, since it covers the three essential functions we have discussed thus far in these explorations of the comma. However, when I say, “Commas separate things,” I mean it here in a very specific sense. The next article will explore that specific function.
To view that article, click the link below:
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.
Comma Function: Commas Set off Introducing and Concluding Elements
In the previous article, we explored how commas set off interrupting phrases, but commas are also used to set off phrases and dependent clauses from the complete-sentence part (independent clause) of the larger sentence. Essentially, commas set things off in sentences.
Here is an example. Notice that there is only one comma. Consider why that is the case.
Recognizing the comma’s complexity, many new writers are afraid to use it.
Think again about the main line of the sentence. Split the sentence in half, with the comma as the dividing wedge in the middle. We are left with these two parts:
1. Recognizing the comma’s complexity
2. Many new writers are afraid to use it
Which of these parts, if written or spoken alone, is a complete statement? If you aren’t sure, read each aloud, and imagine speaking it to someone.
Number 2 is the complete sentence. To show that Number 1 (which English teachers would call a “dependent clause”) is an unnecessary but enhancing appendage, we set it off from the main line with a comma. If it had occurred mid-sentence, it would have a comma on each side.
In fact, I will write it that way:
Many new writers, recognizing the comma’s complexity, are afraid to use it.
In the original example, the dependent clause occurs at the beginning of the sentence, so there is no need to have a comma at the beginning of the clause. Think about it: on that side, there is nothing to set the clause off from; all that’s there is the empty space between sentences. Just for the sake of exploration, let’s look at the clause, with both commas in place:
,recognizing the comma’s complexity, many new writers are afraid to use it.
If we make that unneeded comma invisible, we have our original sentence:
Recognizing the comma’s complexity, many new writers are afraid to use it.
So, in reality, a comma that appears to divide a sentence into two parts actually fulfills the same function as the two commas used to set off a mid-sentence interrupting phrase or clause. The difference is that we do not show the additional comma.
See how that works?
Here are a few additional examples. I present three versions of each: (1) the mid-sentence clause, (2) the transitional clause-sentence form, with the extra comma left visible, and (3) the clause-sentence (or sentence-clause) form, with the extra comma omitted.
Example 1.1. Commas, although they involve many rules, make perfect sense.
Example 1.2. ,although they involve many rules, commas make perfect sense.
Example 1.3. Although they involve many rules, commas make perfect sense.
Now, what if we invert that structure completely?
Example 2.1. Commas, although they involve many rules, make perfect sense.
Example 2.2. Commas make perfect sense, although they involve many rules,
Example 2.3. Commas make perfect sense, although they involve many rules.
Here’s one last example:
Example 3.1. The dash, an alternative to the comma, makes for assertive prose.
Example 3.2. ,an alternative to the comma, the dash makes for assertive prose.
Example 3.3. An alternative to the comma, the dash makes for assertive prose.
So, whether we’re using two commas to set off an interrupting phrase, or using a single comma to set off an introductory clause, we are essentially doing the same thing: setting off an enhancing non-sentence phrase from the main line of the sentence. While commas have many rules, I hope that this article has helped make things a bit more unified for you.
So, here is our ongoing list of comma functions:
1. Commas show pauses (the comma rule of thumb).
2. Commas set things off from the main sentence:
A. Introductions
B. Interruptions
C. Conclusions
Believe it or not, commas serve even more purposes, but those additional purposes are minor compared with the functions we have explored. Still, they are worth examining, so I will do so in upcoming articles.
One such function is that the comma shows, not only a pause, but also a change in how we read actual words. If you want to know more, click the link below:
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.
