Becoming better at something is not rocket science; it is, as Thomas Edison said, "...90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. In other words, reaching a new level in any skill or endeavor requires old-fashioned work. In writing, this means that you need to learn some of the basic skills of punctuation so that the depth and power of your words are delivered to your readers as effectively as possible. Luckily, most people are able to read through errors in punctuation without becoming completely confused. One of the best writers in the English language, Cormac McCarthy, uses punctuation sparingly. However, I am also sure, he knows darn well how to use punctuation if he needed to use punctuation, and I am also sure that your teachers, SAT graders, and potential employers will appreciate that you utilize proper and effective punctuation in your writing.
After many years of writing and teaching writing, I can say with confidence that the ability to use a comma correctly is 90% of the punctuation battle; furthermore, 90% of knowing how and when to use commas is being able to know a clause or a phrase when you you see it (or write it!).
Take the time to study my comma rules and common comma errors, and view the attached powerpoint on clauses and comma usage: It is also on my blog: Simply go to my Punctuation links. There is a link that will take you to a page with numerous punctuation powerpoints. View: "Clauses: Essential Building Blocks" and the "English House of Commas." This should prepare you for learning more about comma usage (and misusage).
Here is the "Conquering the Comma" powerpoint, which will work for you if you have Powerpoint or Keynote (for mac) on your computer. Download Conqering the Comma Powerpoint
Whenever you use (or don't use) a comma, you should soon know which rule you are using. And when you know the rules, you will write with more confidence and clarity, and, like Cormac McCarthy, if you know the rules, you can break them!
Have fun. After you feel like you know what you are doing, try some of the online quizzes at the bottom of this page to find out if you have conquered the comma--or not!
I will send this weeks writing prompt, "Writing a Memoir," to you later today (to give you time to practice commas:)
Thanks for all of the great writing posted on your blogs. Stay inspired, keep writing, and keep commenting.
Fitz
The Top Ten Comma Rules:
1. Separate Elements in a Series:
- I have to remember to bring my books,pencil, baloney, and peanut butter fluff sandwich.
Use a comma before the final "if" there could be any confusion in meaning without it.
Note: if you are introducing a list with a noun, use a colon to introduce the list.
- Don't forget these important items: my books, pencil, baloney, and peanut butter
- fluff sandwich.
If you introduce the list with a verb use a comma after the first item in the list:
- Don't forget my books, pencil, baloney, and peanut butter fluff sandwich.
2. Commas with Conjunctions:
Soyet Andor Norforbut (I have my kids say these words with a Russian accent to help them remember the conjunctions. Look closely and you will see they are the seven main conjunctions. Whenever you use one of these words a little bell should go off in your head: "Maybe I need a comma here.") These commas must have an independent clause (meaning, it can stand alone as a sentence) BEFORE and AFTER the conjunction and comma.
This kind of comma can always be replaced with a period or semi-colon instead of the comma and conjunction.
- It is raining, so I am not going to school. [comma and conjunction]
- It is raining; I am not going to read. [semi-colon]
- It is raining. I am not going to study comma usage. [period]
3. Commas with Introductory Elements (words, phrases, and dependent clauses):
- Actually, Fred can take the test. (introductory word).
- Without thinking, he ran into the burning building and saved his goldfish.
- (introductory phrase)
- Because it is raining, I am not going to school.
- (dependent clause).
4. Commas with parenthetical elements (non-essential phrases and words):
The kid in the back row, who loves grammar, took all of the quizzes and
studied the comma use webpage.
- Note:
If it you want your reader to read the parenthetical element without emphasis, use commas.
If you want to whisper or say something as an aside, use parentheses.
If you want to shout, use double dashes.
5. Commas with descriptive adjectives:
If you can naturally (meaning, without it sounding weird) put an "and" or a "but" between the adjectives, a comma will probably belong there.
- He is a mean, nasty, hard-hearted
teacher, but, at the same time, he is a wise old owl.
6. Commas that express contrast:
This is important when comparing the
differences in somebody or something and you want to emphasize the
contrast. He's big, but slow.
You don't need a comma if you write "He is big and slow." because you are not emphasizing the contrast.
7. Commas to avoid confusion in meaning:
- For most, the year is already finished.
These commas often fall into another rule as well. In this case, "for
most" is an introductory phrase. Here, the comma helps to clarify that the writer is talking about "most" of the people, not most of the year.
8. Commas to set off quotes:
- Fitz said, "Know how to use commas, and you are 90% of towards writing grammatically correct sentences."
It is important to remember that you can also use a colon to set off a quote.
Use a colon when the quote is introduced by a noun.
- My teacher says Fitz has too many rules, and this is what he told his students: "To thine own self be true. Don't listen to fools."
If a quote is four or more lines long, separate the quote as a paragraph introduced with a colon, whether the preceding word is a verb or not. (I like the quotes in italics, but that is not a rule.") You don't need the quotation marks because the indentation and context indicates the quote. Indent the entire quote one inch from the left margin.
9. Commas with place names and dates:
Use this format:
- On June 8, 2009, The Fenn School,
Concord MA, will be a quiet place.
10. Commas with tag elements:
A tag element is a word or phrase "tagged on to
the end of a sentence.
- Do you love studying commas, Peter?
- I couldn't memorize all of this myself, of course.
In most cases, the tag element can be removed from the sentence without any loss in meaning (though there will be a loss in clarity!).
Here are some of the most common errors
1. Missing Commas with Parenthetical Elements:
If you need it, then you don't need it!
Any phrase or clause that could go in parentheses, could also be enclosed within commas or a double dash.
Here you need to figure out if the information you are adding to a sentence is essential or non-essential. If the sentence "makes sense" without the phrase or clause then it is non-essential, and so it needs a comma to separate it from the essential part of the sentence. However, if the phrase or clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence, you should not use commas
For example:
- My brother in the red shirt likes ice cream. [In this sentence, you might have two brothers, so the red shirt is essential to the sentence.]
- My brother, in the red shirt, likes ice cream. [In this sentence, you are talking about one brother, who just happens to be wearing a red shirt. The red shirt adds detail, but it is not essential to understanding the sentence.]
2. Comma Splice:
This is one of the easiest mistakes to make as a writers because it is so easy and natural to do! If you become a fanatic about your use of commas with conjunctions between independent clauses, then you will go a long way towards avoiding this common mistake.
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined only with a comma.
For example:
- I love English class, our teacher is so easy.
Note:
A comma splice also occurs when a comma is used to divide a subject from its verb. For example:
My students are engaged in my class, and never want to leave. [The subject "my students" is separated from one of its verbs "want." Also, "never want to leave" is not an independent clause, which should trigger an alarm in your head!]
3. Missing Comma in Compound Sentence:
Soyet Andor Norforbut (spoken with a heavy slavic accent)
For example:
- Stella lived for many years in Boston and she lived for many years in Concord. (Comma should be placed before the "and.")
Remember "Soyet Andornorforbut!" Anytime you see one of these conjunctions, stop and ask yourself if there is an "independent clause" after it; if so, use a comma.
4. Missing Comma after Introductory Elements:
An introductory element is a word, phrase, or clause that introduces and/or sets up the main part of the sentence
To understand this, you need to know the difference between a phrase and a clause:
*A phrase is a group of closely related words that is missing a subject or a verb. It is usually a prepositional phrase.
For example:
- After eating, we went home. [There is no subject in the introductory phrase.]
- After dinner, we went home. [There is no verb in the introductory phrase.]
*A clause is a closely related group of words that contains a subject AND a verb.
For example:
- I am cool. [I is the subject, and am is the verb]
- Phil ran towards the water. [Phil is the subject; ran is the verb, and "towards the water" is a prepositional phrase.]
Here's the rub: Now you need to be able to tell if a clause is dependent or independent.
The Difference between an Independent and Dependent Clause
*An independent clause when it can survive on its own as a sentence as an idea fully expressed or a completed thought.
For example:
- . [This is a fully expressed thought!]
*A dependent clause if it needs another clause to "complete the thought" and complete the sentence.
For example:
- While Phil ran towards the water, [This is "dependent" on more information--as in an independent clause--to be a fully expressed thought, such as: While Phil ran towards the water, I called the police.]
Here are the two big rules on clauses and comma usage:
1. If a dependent clause comes at the beginning of a sentence, it needs to have a comma after the dependent clause, but if the dependent clause comes after an independent clause, it does not need a comma because the word that comes before the dependent clause (called a "dependent clause marker") acts as the comma.
Generally, it is better to put the independent clause first because it has the most important information in the sentence.
For example:
- We didn't have school today because it was snowing. [Not having school is the main point of the sentence, and so it should come to your reader's attention first.]
- Because we had the storm of the century today that walloped New England with ten feet of snow, we didn't have school today. [Here the important part is the big storm, so it is fine to have the dependent clause come first.]
Note:
If you have two independent clauses--and you want to have one sentence--you must combine these sentences using a comma with a conjunction, a semi-colon, or a long dash (double dash).
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***So, there you have it--most of what I know about commas, clauses, phrases, and conjunctions:) I hope it helps.
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