Category: Grammar

An Ode to the Comma: Correct Punctuation Can Save Lives

8/24/2014

Even in this age when text is often reduced down to 140 characters or less, don’t forget the punctuation. It just could save a life!

I recently went to visit my boys at their summer camp. While driving near Algonquin Provincial Park, I saw a handmade sign posted on a front lawn that read “Slow Kids Crossing.” I was so distracted by the sign (do they mean their kids are physically or mentally slow?) that I could have accidentally hit someone. It is safe to assume they intended “Slow, Kids Crossing” (or “Slow Down, Kids Crossing” would have been better), but this example goes to show the power of punctuation.

The lack of punctuation in this sign obscured the intended meaning. For those of us who notice this sort of thing, it can be annoying—and sometimes amusing. Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, says: “We are like the little boy in The Sixth Sense who can see dead people, except that we see can see dead punctuation.”

The comma is especially complicated because it plays a grammar role, but also a role as an indicator of the rhythm and flow of the sentence. It is also the most controversial punctuation mark. People have very strong opinions about the Oxford (or serial) comma, but I will leave that heated topic for another post (there has already been enough bloodshed).

The comma indicates a slight break between different parts of a sentence. The function of the comma is to group together words, phrases, and clauses to make a sentence clearer to read. The effect of a misplaced or omitted comma can be quite comical at times. Here are some examples from 25 Biggest Comma Fails on BuzzFeed:

Unable to eat diarrhea (think he meant to describe his symptoms as “unable to eat, diarrhea”)
Crap a hole in my yoga pants (reads a little different than “crap, a hole in my yoga pants”)
Man bacon makes anything taste good! (I don’t even want to know what “man bacon” is)
Stop clubbing, baby seals (can you picture the graphic of the baby seals on the dance floor?)

Many people use the comma incorrectly. They either omit it or go crazy with the comma. Read on for a quick primer in correct comma usage.

Commas with relative clauses

A relative clause is a subordinate clause that usually begins with who, which, that, whom, or where. A restrictive relative clause provides information that is essential to the sentence. This type of clause is never set off by commas from the rest of the sentence (e.g., People who own dogs are cool).

A nonrestrictive relative clause is a clause that could be pulled from the sentence without affecting understanding of the noun it describes or changing the meaning of the sentence overall. This type of clause requires a comma before and after (e.g., Our dog, who is a six years old, hates our cat).

A trick to make sure you have used the commas correctly is to take the information enclosed by the commas out from the sentence and see if the sentence still makes sense and conveys the meaning you intended.

Commas with dependent clauses

If a dependent clause precedes a main clause, it should be followed by a comma (e.g., If the cat is lying on the bed, the dog will bark).

If a dependent clause follows a main clause, it is not preceded by a comma if the dependent clause is restrictive (e.g., The dog will bark if the cat is lying on the bed). In this example, it is not necessarily true that the dog will bark, but it is if the cat is lying on the bed.

Commas with introductory words and phrases

Do use a comma after an introductory exclamatory word (e.g., Rats, the dog is barking again), an introductory adverbial clause (e.g., After the dog barked, the cat jumped off the bed), an introductory participial phrase (e.g., Thrilled with his success, the dog jumped on the bed), an introductory direct address (e.g., Baxter, get off the bed!), or an introductory yes, no, well, etc. (e.g., Well, at least he’s not barking anymore).

Do not use a comma if the introductory adverbial phrase immediately precedes the verb it modifies (e.g., On top of the bed stood the smug dog).

Commas with independent clauses

When independent clauses are joined by conjunctions, such as and, but, or, so, or yet, a comma usually precedes the conjunction (e.g., The dog would not get off the bed, so we slept on the floor).

For compound predicates, a comma is not usually used between two or more verbs that have the same subject and are not complete independent clauses (e.g., We tried to pull the dog off the bed but were unable to do so).

Commas with parenthetical and descriptive phrases

Commas should be used with parenthetical elements if only a slight break is intended (e.g., Our sleep on the floor, in spite of our initial concerns, was surprisingly comfortable).

Commas (sometimes paired with semicolons) are used after adverbs such as however, therefore, and indeed (e.g., However, we do not plan to sleep there again) and around phrases introduced by such as and including when they are used nonrestrictively (e.g., All of us, including the dog and cat, can sleep on the bed).

I hope you learned something from this very general introduction to using the comma. Stay tuned for a separate post in which I will discuss the use of the comma in lists.

Happy Adventures in Editing!

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An Ode to the Comma: Correct Punctuation Can Save Lives

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