Comma Trauma
Melissa, Textbroker Editor
Hey all! Keira will be back for the next post to let you know how we're going to be streamlining the 5-star process, so stay tuned. For now, though, all aboard the train to Commatown!
Comma Splices
I'm not sure about you folks, but when I think of the word “splice,” I think of some strange genetic experiment, like in that movie with Adrian Brody and that lady from “Go.” While a comma splice isn't quite that disturbing to most people, it is an incorrect construction and, as such, is very disturbing to the TB editors.
A comma splice occurs when you splice two independent clauses together using a comma alone:
“I like wearing this helmet, it totally accents my pumps.”
An independent clause is a clause that could stand alone as its own grammatically correct sentence. “I like wearing this helmet” and “It totally accents my pumps” are both independent clauses because each could function as a grammatically correct, self-contained sentence with both subject and verb. As a result, they cannot be joined by a comma alone.
Thematically and stylistically, however, these ideas complement each other, and your reader should experience them together. To achieve the desired fluidity while maintaining your grammatical fabulousness, you can do one of three things:
1)Add a coordinating conjunction after the comma. There are seven—and only seven—coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. They spell out FANBOYS. Using one of these words logically would exorcise the stink of the comma splice out of our sexy sample:
“I like wearing this helmet, and it totally accents my pumps.”
“I like wearing this helmet, for it totally accents my pumps.”
2)Use alternate punctuation. If you aren't feeling the FANBOYS, you can use a semicolon or a colon in place of the comma. If you choose this option, however, be very careful. Do not combine options 1 and 2, or a grammar goblin will sneak into your room at night and eat your soul. Use either one or the other.
“I like wearing this helmet; it totally accents my pumps.”
“I like wearing this helmet: It totally accents my pumps.”
You are likely saying, “Why is 'It' capitalized? That isn't right! What is this blog coming to? Where's Keira?!” Please allow me to assure you both that the capitalization is correct, and Keira is alive and well. In AP style, when a second independent clause follows a colon, its first word must be capitalized, so please keep this in mind.
3)Reword to remove punctuation. You could just as effectively express this idea with no punctuation at all.
“I like wearing this helmet because it accents my pumps.”
“I like wearing this helmet when it accents my pumps.”
With the help of every author, we can vanquish the scourge of the comma splice in our lifetime, making for some very happy clients and editors.
Essential and non-essential clauses
These are clauses that provide additional information to the readers. They are sometimes called restrictive and non-restrictive clauses. As the name denotes, an essential clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence; it cannot be removed without changing the sentence's meaning. A non-essential clause is, then, a clause that does not provide information that changes the sentence if removed. The most important thing to remember here is that non-essential clauses require commas, and essential clauses do not. At times, it can be crucial to make the distinction between essential and non-essential clauses:
“Children, who eat pizza and watch TV, are fat.”
“Children who eat pizza and watch TV are fat.”
Making the pizza and TV clause non-essential in the first sentence implies that all children eat pizza and watch TV and are fat. Making the same clause essential in the second sentence creates a distinction between the group of children who eat pizza and lounge and all the other children who presumably don't like pizza and engage in other forms of entertainment.
“Carlton Counard, my awesome high school English teacher, owns the restaurant.”
It is not essential for the readers to know that Counard was my high school English teacher; it's just a delicious little nugget of Melissa trivia. The focus of that sentence is that Counard is the owner of the restaurant, which makes the bit about him being my teacher superfluous—thus non-essential—despite it being fascinating. Also, notice the commas.
“Carlton Counard owns the restaurant that Reavers attacked last year.”
Here, “that Reavers attacked last year” is an essential clause because there are many restaurants in my sleepy little burg, but only one was set upon by fictitious space cannibals in the past 12 months.
You may be saying “Wait one second, Little Miss Editor Pants. If you removed both clauses, you would be left with the same sentence: 'Carlton Counard owns the restaurant.' Aside from no one caring about your stupid teacher and 'Firefly' being awesome, how do you know that one clause is essential and one isn't?” You know because of “that.” “That” is almost always indicative of an essential clause in AP style. For a non-essential clause, use “which.”
“The shirt that I'm wearing is yellow.”
“The shirt, which I'm wearing, is yellow.”
The the use of “that” over “which” in the first sentence shows your readers that me wearing the shirt currently is important, while in the second sentence, the same information is extraneous. This essential/non-essential clauses business is a bit nebulous, so it's up to you, the author, to decide what information is essential and what isn't. Just be sure that the grammatical structure that you use reflects your decision.
I hope, my pretties, that you have found this information useful. I know commas are a sore spot for many, but they don't have to be. Whenever you receive feedback from us on your articles and you don't understand why what you've done is incorrect, email us. We're happy to answer questions, as in an email we can provide a more thorough explanation than we can in comments. Cheers!
posted on 02/25/2011 - 05.19 | grammar and style | comments: 40
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As I read this article I had to chuckle to myself a little. I teach 7th grade english and my 12 year old students are trying to learn these same principles right now. They will, of course, not learn them. Most writers will always need to revisit these rules and must continually study the process and edit themselves while doing so. Thanks for the reminder.added by: author Stelly on 03/01/2011 - 10.43
I've always had this bit of issue with commas: I like to place them after every object named in a list. For example: I like pizza, beer, sushi, and mangoes. Mant folks would decry that last comma, however, and say that I shouldn't have added a comma before the word "and". I believe that if I don't add a comma after sushi, then sushi and mangoes are somehow realted. Am I wrong on this rule? I think Textbroker penalized me for using a comma in front of the word "and" during my editing test. Thanks for your help!added by: author Halina on 03/02/2011 - 12.05
Hey there!
Great article. I must take issue with one piece of information. Many years ago, I had a teacher who did not like semi-colons. In fact, she made mock of them. Therefore, your example that says:
<“I like wearing this helmet; it totally accents my pumps.”>
would be knocked down so far that a sink hole would develop. In a situation where two sentences could stand alone, then they should stand alone. Place a period after "helmet" and make a capital letter "i" for the second sentence.
I have never forgotten that information and have taught it to many of my students and mentors over the years! (Of course, there might be a FEW place where the semi-colon might come in handy - and it should be used.)added by: author write2earn on 03/02/2011 - 02.14
That that is is That that is not is not Is that it it It is
That that is, is. That that is not, is not. Is that it? It is!added by: author A-023491 on 03/02/2011 - 11.04
Thanks much Melissa! These mini-courses on punctuation have been really helpful. I know that I have learned from them.added by: author TimPal on 03/02/2011 - 01.02
Thank you for your article. It was simple to understand, but what's more than that, this is the way I was taught. Please let all the editors know that it is the author's choice whether to use a clause as essential/non-essential - that or which. It's one reason that holds me back to being a 4 consistently. They obviously were trained differently than you or I.
Thank you for coming forth! :)added by: author A-045610 on 03/02/2011 - 01.18
A very helpful article. FANBOYS is a great tip.
I know that I have a very serious case of comma dysfunction. FANBOYS may go far in my overcoming this dreadful affliction.
Thank you for the excellent post.added by: author Alan1018 on 03/02/2011 - 01.33
I've been "dinged" by the TB staff on the improper use of commas on more than one occasion. Most recently it resulted in lowering my rating from 4 to 3.
I have finally figured out the reason for the majority of these mishaps and I am going to bravely go where others may fear to tread and place the blame on my ill-advised Microsoft Spell checker that insists on adding commas where they do not belong.
I have since resisted the urge to select thebutton and choose to pass it over and forego the comma insertion.
Hopefully this will end my comma overuse and abuse.
I'm temporarily in spell-check-withdrawal.
cheers :)
added by: author A-037200 on 03/02/2011 - 01.39
@Halina, that's called an Oxford comma, and there's nothing wrong with using one. I do it all the time.added by: author A. Asa on 03/02/2011 - 01.58
Thanks, and keep, it going.
Any time I think of the comma I think of Oscar Wilde's statement about writing: "I spent all morning putting in a comma, and all afternoon taking it out".added by: author A-058987 on 03/02/2011 - 02.07
I loved this article! Thanks for the reminders!
Also, I just want to say that I hate the conjunction for. To me it will be , and always will be, a preposition and it drives me crazy that it's a conjunction. I know. I know! Technically, you are right, but in my own little English world, I would love for it to stay a preposition!
added by: author A-039544 on 03/02/2011 - 03.23
I think comma misuse is a problem faced by an enormous amount of decent writers; it is often very difficult to determine whether or not we can sneak one in. This article was right on target, though I also really hate "for" as a conjunction. Thanks for the acronym; that's very helpful.added by: author A-058302 on 03/02/2011 - 03.51
"@Halina, that's called an Oxford comma, and there's nothing wrong with using one. I do it all the time." A. Asa, AP Style designates no comma before the conjunctive unless its omission causes confusion. "Standard" punctuation uses it, but not strict AP Style. Sure, the editors have let inclusions go most of the time, but standards are changing. That might, as well.
write2earn, Melissa's semi-colon example was correct. Your teacher penalized you for her personal preference. There's nothing wrong with using a semi-colon when appropriate; the sentence is excepted in both "standard" punctuation and in AP Style. The only condition to its use is that both clauses must be independent clauses--complete sentences.
A semi-colon infers a relationship between the two, joining together for coherency.
"It's late; I'm going to bed." -- related in some fashion.
"It's late; I'm getting out of bed." -- still related.
"The ball is red; the car was hit by a daisy." -- no, not exactly related. I seriously doubt that the ball's red color was caused, compared to, contrasted with or related to a vehicular floral victim. Unless its driver was allergic, but that's beyond context.
My recurring comma error is using one before the conditional words like "because" if there's both a subject and a verb following them. From grammar school through grad school, using one was how punctuation was taught and graded. It's gonna take some time for this to become natural for me. My e-brain wants to grind to a halt at what computes as a change in punctuation rules for standard lit as well as AP Style work.
lol...One of these days I might actually invest in a guidebook. ;)
Great post, though, Melissa!added by: author A-035348 on 03/02/2011 - 04.11
Thank you so much. I will take this to heart. I pray to God that my coma mishaps become an issue of the past!added by: author Conny on 03/02/2011 - 04.26
@Halina, I like to keep some 'rules' as simple as possible.
I had to take a look at something I read recently in the 4th Edition of Strunk & White's, *The Elements of Style.* (I got my copy for less than $5, including shipping, at Goodwill Books on Amazon.)
In the chapter "Elementary Rules of Usage" they state the comma usage you cited "is often referred to as the 'serial' comma."
2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
red, white, and blue
gold, silver, and copper.
He opened the letter, read it, and made some notes.
Business firms would (usually) not use the last comma.
Little, Brown and Company.
More, Moore and Moor.
@A. Asa, I must say I was not aware of an "Oxford" comma. If it refers to that stuffy institution, I'll bet there are 3 pages of rules included with it's 'proper' use! *smile*added by: author GratefulAl on 03/02/2011 - 04.44
Firefly is very awesome!!
Oh, wait, did someone mention grammar in this post, too? ;) Very well-written post; I enjoyed reading it!added by: author EditingMom on 03/02/2011 - 05.43
Shrunk & White's book is an excellent reference overall, but it pertains to "standard" rules and forms.
AP Style is journalistic, a very different animal in the literary jungle with different formats and punctuation rules, alas.added by: author A-035348 on 03/02/2011 - 08.33
Thanks for the lesson in the proper use of commas! I love to write, but sometimes don't remember when to use a comma or not. Though MS Office corrects with the green lines under mistakes, sometimes we write and read the way we speak. It never hurts to brush up on proper English especially when it counts! was I supposed to use a comma there? :-)added by: author A-064741 on 03/03/2011 - 12.26
It's been fairly interesting over the last few weeks to observe in some detail the occasionally vicious conflict between differing "semi-official" styles of punctuation. It can only be hoped that I can keep them all straight in my head. It'll be hard enough as it is to remember British and Australian spellings, usage and idioms, when it comes time to cram these Foreign Legion battalions of language variations into my lexicon.added by: author bumpylight on 03/05/2011 - 06.39
Hey Melissa ... great information delivered in a witty, clever and captivating style!added by: author Gabriella on 03/06/2011 - 01.31
Hey Melissa!
This was a great blog! I found it very helpful and kept my attention all the way through it!! I struggle with comma issues all the time. I tell myself that I will use short sentences to avoid dealing with the comma issues but find I still write long ones. ugh. (LOL)
Thanks so much for writing this helpful blog!
Have a great day and week!
Maryanneadded by: author Maryanne on 03/07/2011 - 01.22
Thanks for the tips that are surely needed all the time. Just when you think you know how to use a comma it comes back to haunt you that a simple "splice" can be a difficult thing to splice with. Thanks and keep the articles to learn with coming.added by: author A-026427 on 03/08/2011 - 09.39
Hi. This whole comma controversy really irritated me at first, but I'm coming to terms with it now. You just have to understand what we're doing here at Textbroker, and how it differs from other kinds of writing.
This isn't really creative writing. When your eight-grade English teacher read your short story and said that you would grow up to be Real Author someday, this is not what she was talking about. What we're doing here is writing ads and brochures and blog entries, usually with the motive of promoting something in some way.
Most of us didn't start out with this kind of writing. We started with things that were fun, those short stories in the eighth grade or whatever. In that kind of writing, you can punctuate it however you like as long as it works in the story. When you're writing a piece of fiction, you can use bad grammar, incorrect punctuation or anything else that fits your context. After all, look what Mark Twain did with the rural Southern vernacular of his day. When it comes to the rules, fiction writers have a license to kill.
When you're writing ads and brochures and blog entries, it's a completely different thing. This is really a kind of weird little word game with certain quirky rules that must be obeyed. If I play the game right and follow all the rules, I am rewarded with money and possibly a good evualation.
It has nothing to do with creativity, art, literature or fiction. It is completely separate from the fiction writing I have done in the past. It's a different thing, and it's done in a different way. That's how I look at it now, and this attitude has brought me peace on this issue.
When you gripe about some comma or something, you are not saying, "You're a bad writer! You don't know what you're doing!" All you're saying is, "This comma violates the rules of this game."
When I'm writing a piece of fiction, I will place my commas, anywhere I, please. If anybody, has a problem with that, they can just go, and read somebody else's, story!
But when I'm writing for Textbroker I will try my best to obey the rules of the game, because that's how it's played. To paraphrase Kipling, "Fiction is fiction and Textbroker is Textbroker, and ne'er the twain shall meet."
This path has brought me to peace and oneness, and I recommend it for all.added by: author A-042257 on 03/18/2011 - 12.02
Hundreds of writers and editors here, and nobody caught "The the use of “that” over “which” in the first sentence shows your readers..."
Tsk tsk.
I hope you can see me smiling as I type this. :D
Kaanii/Monkeypieadded by: author monkeypie on 04/29/2011 - 03.29
Thank you SO much for this informative blog post. This has definitely answered many of my questions about clauses. Hopefully I can spare the Textbroker Editors a couple of emails by referring to this guide instead!
Julianneadded by: author Jules77 on 05/31/2011 - 08.48
** fans away smell of brain frying **
When we refer to "or," "nor," and "but" as conjunctions, are we discussing the second halves of pairs lke "either...or....", "neither...nor...." and "not...but...?"
Or am I totally missing the point?added by: author A-070974 on 07/05/2011 - 08.59
Thank you for the informative aspect of the AP style. I am a new writer here at Textbroker.com and I was re-generated with a new focus and motivation after reading the text and then the comments. Thanks!added by: author A-079742 on 08/06/2011 - 01.50
Thank you so much for these tips. I love your writing style! <3<3<3 Janiadded by: author Jani on 10/03/2011 - 08.23
The long sought answer to the That/Which question!
No more green underlines in Word for moi!
Muchas Gracias! J
added by: author A-088713 on 10/30/2011 - 11.56
Wow-great post! You made an otherwise drab lesson very interesting. You are the English teacher we all dream of ;) !added by: author Bree on 11/22/2011 - 11.38
What about 'because'?
“I like wearing this helmet because it totally accents my pumps.”added by: author TsuDhoNimh on 11/26/2011 - 07.55
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