Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related The Concise Word on Commas

The comma poll sent me hunting and I found a nice, succinct summary of commas usage. It's so good, I'm going to take the time and effort to type it here. This is from "Instant Spelling Dictionary" which is a small handy desk reference for "All persons who write, dictate, transcribe or check the writing of others." The book contains 25,000 English words with tips on spelling, pronounciation and word division at the end of line. Since there is no UBB code for underline, I'm going bold the underlined words. The italics are theirs.

USE OF THE COMMA (pg. 272)

1. The comma (,) is used after an adverbial dependent clause when the dependent clause precedes the main clause. When the dependent clause does not begin the sentence, the comma is usually unnecessary.
2. The comma is used after a participial phrase or and absolute phrase at the beginning of a sentence.
3. The comma is used after an introductory infinitive phrase.
4. The comma is used to set off parenthetical expressions, whether words, phrases, or clauses.
(a) Transitional words such as however, therefore, moreover, besides, consequently should be set off by commas.
(b) Phrases such as so to speak, in short, as a result, of course should be set off by commas.
(c) Clauses such as I think. we suppose, he says should be set off by commas.
(d) Explanatory expressions, such as and I agree with him, so far as his is concerned, etc., which break the logical sequence of words should be set of by commas.
5. The comma is used after introductory expressions such as yes, indeed, surely (when it means yes), well.
6. The comma is used to set off a nonrestrictive clause. A nonrestrictive clause is set off because it is not needed to complete the meaning of a sentence. A nonrestrice clause is similar to a parenthetical expression in that it gives added information about the word it modifies.
Restrictive clauses are never set off by commas. A restrictive clause is a clause that is neede to complete the meaning of the sentence because the clause identifies the word it modifies. A restrictive clause cannot be left out of a sentence, whereas a nonrestrictive clause can be.
7. The comma is used to set off words in apposition. An appositive is a word or phrase that defines or identifies another word. An appositive means the same as the word it defines.
8. The comma is used to set off words used in direct address.
9. The comma is used to separate a series of three or more words, phrases, or clauses.
Ed: Note there is not an and before (3).

- continued in next post -

Artemis

10. The comma is used to separate coordinate adjectives which modify the same noun. Adjectives are coordinate if the word and can be used between them.
11. The comma is used in a compound sentence to separate independent clauses joined by one of the coordinate conjunctions and, but, for ,or, nor and while when it means the same as but.
(a) If the clauses of a compound sentence are very short and closely connected, the comma may be omitted.
(b) Do not use a comma between two independent clauses unless a coordinate conjunction is used. The use of a comma without a coordinate conjunction between two independent clauses is call the comma fault. The following sentence illustrates the comma fault:
Note 1. The comma fault may be eliminated by punctuating the sentence in one of the three following ways:
(a) Use a coordinate conjunction after the comma:
(b) Use a semicolon between the two independent clauses:
(c) Punctuate the two independent clauses as two simple sentences:
Note 2. When the independent clauses of a compound sentence are very long or have internal punctuation, a semicolon is generally used before the coordinate conjunction. Internal punctuation means that there are commas within one or both of the independent clauses.
12. The comma is used to set off words or phrases expressing contrast.
13. The comma is used to set off a definite place, month or year.
14. The comma is used to set off a short direct quotation.
16. The comma is used to separate a phrase from the rest of the sentence when the phrase is inverted or our of its natural order.
17. The comma is used to indicate the omission of a word.
18. The comma is used to set off a proper name when followed by an academic degree or honorary title. the comma is used to separate two or more degrees or titles.
19. The comma is used to point off the thousands in figures of four digits or more.
20. The comma is used to separate two sets of figures or two identical words.
WHEW!
Artemis

Thanks, Artemis!

This is very handy and very comprehensive.

The comma usage I seem to see a lot these days which I believe is incorrect is adding a comma before an and when the second clause is dependent:

He ran to the front door, and threw it open with anticipation. Incorrect

He ran to the front door and threw it open with anticipation. Correct

I see this in published books, which is what lead me to construct the poll. I'd wondered if the rules had changed.

Thanks for taking the time to post all of this.

Lynn

Rule 11, which is what Lynn's poll was about, is the mistake that I've seen most often too. The rule as it's written there is how I learned it in several different classes.

Thanks for posting that, Artemis!

~Anna

I've never heard a comma splice called a comma fault before. Other than that, great resource! Thanks.

Artemis' post on the usage of the comma is an excellent resource, but if someone wants something can be kept in her/his head, I suggest the SPIT rules for commas.

I used to give this to my students and I found it helped a lot.

SPIT
S = use a comma in a series of words, phrases or sentences. e.g.Clark, Lois, Jimmy and Perry work at the Daily Planet.

P = use a comma to separate prinicple clauses. (A principle clause is basically a sentence that can stand on its own.) e.g. Clark eats junk food, but Lois eats chocolate ice-cream.

I - use a comma after an introductory word, phrase or clause. e.g. As soon as Clark hears a cry for help, he runs off and changes into Superman. However, no one notices him do this.

T = use commas to separate the thought interruption from the rest of the sentence. e.g. Lois Lane, investigative reporter extraordinaire, never recognized that Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter, was Superman, a strange visitor from another planet.

Hope that helps.

gerry

Excellent suggestion, gerry. I never heard of SPIT before, but it's a great mnemonic. I'm a great believer in KISS for presentations (a.k.a. Death by PowerPoint) - Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Artemis

Maybe this should be stickied to the top of this forum...

James

I'm bookmarking this thread. It's a very handy reference.

I've featured this topic at the top of the forum so that writers can use it as a reference in the future. Feel free to keep discussing it as long as you'd like.

Thanks for posting this, Artemis, and thanks to James for the suggestion.

~Anna
Forum Moderator

Wow, I was hunting for this to see more recent replies and found I'm a STICKY!!!! Me does happy dance! Thanks for recommending it be stuck, James. Yes, we've been using the handy little book for a long time. But good punctuation never goes out of style!

Artemis

I would say this is the number one problem that I have when writting a story. Thank you for the resource!

This is a really great resource! Thanks for putting it together.

On additional point:
In a list or series of items, there is the option to use the serial (or Oxford) comma. This is a comma placed before the and and the final item.

With serial comma: Clark, Lois, Jimmy, and Perry work at the Daily Planet.
(The serial comma is the one before and.)

Without serial comma: Clark, Lois, Jimmy and Perry work at the Daily Planet.

While the serial comma is not mandatory, it is the current trend. The most recent edition of the Chicago Manual of Style suggests its use.

Good point, katey. You may notice that the Microsoft Word grammar checker uses the serial comma.
I'm glad many FoLCs found this as a resource.

Artemis

...if you're in the US. UK grammar rules do not dictate the use of the serial comma You'll find that many people from other countries where English is the native language don't use it because it's not the current trend there. One British publisher, Oxford University Press, does insist on this comma in its style guide (hence the other title of the 'Oxford comma'), but OUP is alone in this preference.


Wendy