Commas are among my favorite tools for building meaning. Used intelligently, commas are wonderful signposts that tell readers which part of a sentence they’ve stumbled into—and then help them make their way out again. I like commas so much I’ve written multiple posts about them.
If comma rules confuse you, take heart! If improving reader comprehension is your goal, there are really only a few “rules” to remember:
Use commas:
Rule 1: After introductory elements.
This is the one most people seem to know about. But I argue that commas are really only necessary when the introductory element gets long enough that readers may miss the lane change back into the main part of the sentence.
So:
After a moment he left the room. (No comma needed unless you want to emphasize a pause.)
But:
After he spent an extended vacation in a remote village in the Alps, where did he go next? (The comma lets readers know that “where” begins a new clause.)
Rule 2: Around or after “interrupters,” including non-essential modifiers (this is a rule, not an option).
I think this one is the most confusing for many writers.
Short interrupters can be easy to spot:
Jane, however, did not go with him to the Alps.
However, Jane did not go.
Non-essential modifiers are elements that can be lifted out of the sentence without compromising its meaning or purpose.
The old car, which was a lot like the one my grandfather used to drive, had been repainted bright blue.
The information about grandad’s car is incidental to the meaning of the sentence, which is that the car is now bright blue. Lift it out and only this incidental information is lost. The rule here, and it IS a rule, is TWO COMMAS, not just the first one. You need that second comma to signal the return to the main clause.
Contrast the example above with this example of an essential modifier, one that can’t be lifted out without eliminating the point of the sentence:
The car that gives you the most mileage is the one you should buy.
Without the modifier, we have:
The car is the one you should buy.
Since the point of the sentence is to say which car, the modifier is essential to the meaning.
NO COMMAS around essential modifiers! They are integral to the sentence, not “interrupters.”
Sometimes confusion about what constitutes an essential or non-essential modifier can turn a sentence into nonsense. I often see commas inserted into constructions like this.
Author Stephen King wrote a lot of books.
Note: no commas. Now try it without the essential modifier, in this case an appositive:
Author wrote a lot of books.
The trick: try taking out the modifying clause and see what remains.
Rule 3: Direct address (this is also a rule, not an option):
Hi, Mr. Smith.
Did you buy bread at the store, Louise?
Louise, did you buy the bread?
Well, Mr. Smith, I guess we won’t be having any bread today.
Rule 4: Before “and,” “but,” etc., if you have more than two items. (This is the infamous Oxford or serial comma.) The elements of the “serial” or list can be words, phrases, or whole sentences.
Louise forgot the bread, cheese, and fruit; she did remember the wine, beer, and vodka.
My worries about her diet involved her lack of protein, her lack of vegetables, and her preference for liquid components.
If you have only two items linked by “and” or “but,” you have a compound and don’t need a comma, as in this sentence, which contains a compound predicate for the pronoun “you.” I’ve underlined the two components (and note the comma after the introductory clause).
Rule 5: Before the “and” or “but” if you’re joining two complete sentences.
I’d argue this is a judgment call, but this sentence illustrates how judicious use of a comma in a compound sentence like this one can tell readers which part of the sentence they’ve ventured into.
That’s five “rules” to absorb—not really so many. Rule Number Six: if one of those five rules doesn’t apply, DON’T INSERT A COMMA. No commas between subjects and their verbs, no commas after “and” or “but,” and so forth. List the five rules and check your questionable comma to see whether one of these applies*:
- After introductory elements
- Around interrupters
- In direct address
- Before “and” or “but” in a list of three or more items
- Before the “and” or “but” in a compound sentence (two complete sentences joined with a coordinating conjunction like “and” or “but”**).
*There are some “conventional” rules for commas that don’t really affect readers’ comprehension, such as the comma that should follow the name of a state (“Austin, Texas, was his home.”) or the ones before and after the year in dates. Any handbook will answer your questions about those minor comma uses.
**There are actually several coordinating conjunctions in addition to “and” and “but,” and the rule applies to them as well, but I didn’t want to muddy the waters too much. The other coordinating conjunctions you’re likely to use include “for,” “nor,” “or,” “yet,” and “so.”
Reblogged this on Just Can't Help Writing.
LikeLike
Pingback: “Secret Writing Rules” and Why to Ignore Them… | Just Can't Help Writing
Thanks for this post. A review is always a good thing, even when we think we already know how to use punctuation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So true. Especially given that language changes as much as it does!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for this good post. 🙂 — Suzanne
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder if the Grammarly app knows all these rules? lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Word’s grammar checker may “know” them but can’t always figure out how to apply them. Haven’t tried Grammarly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have noticed. I’m glad both programs give the choice to ignore suggestions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, I would hate it if the programs changed my writing without asking permission! Autocorrect is bad enough–but I do like having that second capital letter that often pops up changed automatically to lower-case. . . . 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Writing for the Whole Darn Universe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing, Malia Ann!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome! 🙂
LikeLike
For some reason, WordPress isn’t posting your comment after I approved it. I’m trying this reply to see if the posts show up. There’s no telling what gremlins are at work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good point in rule 2 about how to identify an essential modifier. I don’t follow the serial comma rule 4 because I think the final comma before the
“and” or “or” is unnecessary for meaning.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lot of people agree with you! My favorite rebuttals include the many variations on “I’d like to thank my parents, the president and God.” Here’s a really funny one: from a London Times article on a documentary on Peter Ustinov, “The highlights of his tour included a meeting with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a [obscene object] collector.” So I’d say you could classify the OC as one of those judgment calls. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The essential modifier (new term to me!) is one authors frequently get wrong in their book blurbs: Private eye, John Smith, faces his toughest case when…
Good to see this explained!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I see this, too. Commas have the power to emphasize the words before them, so I wonder if they look as if they provide emphasis. But they also unnecessarily interrupt the sentence rhythm, so they have two strikes against them in a case like this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always have to recheck my coordinate adjectives and commas. The long, winding road. The deep, blue sea. The short, crooked path. I’m probably still getting them wrong, Lol!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw a post not too long ago about those. I’ll see if I can find it! They are a puzzle. 🙂
LikeLike
That would be cool, and helpful! Lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here it is! I reblogged this from Chris the Story Reading Ape, who posts the Editing 101 series from Adirondack Editing: https://justcanthelpwriting.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/editing-101-52-adjectives-and-the-commas-that-go-with-them/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
You’re welcome!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on deanieblog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Tips from Virginia 👍😃
LikeLike
THANKS! I love punctuation 🙂 !
LikeLiked by 1 person
So I saw, Virginia 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person