Punctuation - Commas Are Our Friends

Chapter Punctuation: Commas Are Our Friends In This Chapter • Get the nuts and bolts of punctuation • Finally distinguish between semicolons and colons • Learn that a hyphen is not a d

Chapter

Punctuation: Commas Are Our Friends

In This Chapter

• Get the nuts and bolts of punctuation

• Finally distinguish between semicolons and colons

• Learn that a hyphen is not a dash and parentheses are not brackets

Using the correct punctuation is more than following the grammar rules— correct punctuation enables your audience to understand your ideas more clearly Like traffic signals, punctuation keeps your ideas flowing in the right direction

Hey, you already know all this—you just want to know how to tell the differ-ence between a dash and a hyphen, what on earth you do with an ellipsis, and what relationship a semicolon has to J Lo (No, they were never married

at least not yet.) So sharpen your pencil; we're ready to boogie

Punctuation Matters

The following two letters contain the same exact words—but the punctua-tion differs sharply Which letter would you rather receive?

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Dear John:

I want a man who knows what love is all about You are generous, kind, thoughtful People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior You have ruined

me for other men I yearn for you I have no feelings whatsoever when we're apart

I can forever be happy—will you let me be yours?

Harriet

Dear John:

I want a man who knows what love is All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you Admit to being useless and inferior You have ruined

me For other men, I yearn For you, I have no feelings whatsoever When we're apart, I can forever be happy Will you let me be?

Yours,

Harriet

These letters tell us a lot about John and Harriet—but they tell us even more about the importance of punctuation Change a comma here, move a period there and

the entire document is different Thafs why punctuation matters; it creates meaning

as much as words do

Show Me the Money

I'll bet that you know a lot more than you think about the correct way to use standard punctuation To prove it, I'm going to ask you to take this simple quiz In each case, write C if the punctuation is correct or W if the punctuation is incorrect Answers

and explanations follow

Two men (1) ± sentenced to die in the electric chair on the same day (2) ±

were led to the room in which they would meet their maker The priest had

given the last rites (3) the warden had given the formal speech, and the

participants had said a final prayer

The warden, turning to the first man, solemnly asked (4) "Son (5) ± do you have a last request (6) ?^

The man replied, "Yes sir, I do (7) I love dance music Could you please play the Chicken Dance for me one last time?"

(8) Certainly (9) _J1 replied the Warden He turned to the other man and asked, "Well (10) ± what about you, son? What is your final request?"

"Please kill me first," replied the other man

Chapter 1 6 : Punctuation: Commas Are Our Friends 2 0 5 Answers

1 C (use a comma to set off nonessential information)

2 C (use a comma to set off nonessential information)

3 W (comma needed to set off introductory clause)

4 W (comma needed before a direct quotation)

5 C (use a comma to set off a word of direct address)

6 C (use a question mark to indicate a question; place it inside the quotation marks)

7 C (use a period to indicate the end of a statement)

8 W (use quotation marks to set off dialogue)

9 C (use a comma to set off dialogue)

10 C (use a comma to set off interrupting expressions)

So how did you do?

8 to 10 correct Were you a proofreader in a past life?

5 to 7 correct There's no reason to hide under the bed when you see a

semicolon

4 to 6 correct I can help you, baby, I really can

1 to 3 correct You love the Chicken Dance, you say?

Period, Question Mark, Exclamation Mark:

The End of the Line

The period, question mark, and exclamation mark are the Three Musketeers of punc-tuation: all for one and one for all Here's why:

• They are all end marks; that is, they are used at the end of a sentence

• All three marks of punctuation have the same function: to indicate a full stop

• They all show the end of a complete thought

• They can all prevent run-on sentences, as you learned in Chapter 14

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Okay, so maybe they're not the Three Musketeers, but at least they're not the Three Stooges, Three Amigos, or the Three Bears Let's look at these three end marks more closely

The Period: Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

The period is the workhorse of punctuation Like a great dessert, it's always welcome

at the end Here's how to use periods:

• Use a period after a complete sentence

Example: A hangover is the wrath of grapes

• Use a period after a command

Example: Please close the door behind you

• Use a period after most abbreviations

Examples: Dr., Ms., Jr

• Don't use a period after the individual letters in an acronym For example, write NATO, not N A T O

• Use a period after an initial

Example: John F Kennedy

• Use a period after each Roman numeral, letter, or number in an outline

Example: I

B

1

2

• Always place a period inside a quotation mark that ends a sentence

Example: The sign read, "A pest is a friend in need."

The Question Mark: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

You know the rules for life: Never wear white shoes after Labor Day, brush after every meal, and avoid making rude noises in public Here, then, are the rules for using question marks

If an abbreviation

comes at the end of a sentence,

do not add another period

Chapter 1 6 : Punctuation: Commas Are Our Friends 2 0 7

• Use a question mark after a question

Example: Isn't the Mason-Dixon line what separates y'all from youse guys?

• Place the question mark inside of closing quotation marks if it is part of the

quo-tation

Example: In a dream, I heard someone asking, "Isn't atheism a nonprophet

organization?"

• Place the question mark outside of the closing quotation marks if it is not part of

the quotation

Example: Was it your mother who said, "The Lord prefers common-looking

people; that's the reason he made so many of them"? (In such a circumstance, it's okay to drop the period from the quotation.)

Exclamation Marks: Gosh and Golly!

In speech, exclamations are used freely, especially in moments of high passion, as when the dishwasher overflows at 11 P.M on a Saturday night In writing, however, it

is far more convincing to create emphasis by the force of your words rather than the force of your punctuation But there will be occasions to use exclamation marks, so here are some guidelines to follow

• Use an exclamation mark after an \*j^J- \ Danger, Will Robinson

exclamatory sentence

Example: "Apparent" is a large, old

bossy person who tortures youth!

Do not combine an exclamation mark with a period, comma, or question mark

The Pause That Refreshes

Following are some questions and answers submitted to an advice columnist The advice is confusing because the periods, question marks, and exclamation marks are missing Add them as needed

1 I've been going steady with this man for six years We see each other every night

He says he loves me, and I know I love him, but he never mentions marriage Do you think he's going out with me just for what he can get

Signed, Baffled in Boston

2 Dear Baffled: I don't know What's he getting

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3 Are birth control pills deductible

Signed, Confused in Cleveland

4 Dear Confused: Only if they don't work

5 Is it possible for a man to be in love with two women at the same time

Signed Perplexed in Pittsburgh

6 Dear Pittsburgh: Yes, and also dangerous

7 Our son was married in June Five months later his wife had a 10-pound baby girl They said the baby was premature Tell me, can a baby this big be that early Wondering in Walla-Walla

8 Dear Wondering: The baby was on time, but the wedding was late

Answers

1 I've been going steady with this man for six years, We see each other every night

He says he loves me, and I know I love him, but he never mentions marriage

Do you think he's going out with me just for what he can get?

Signed, Baffled in Boston

2 Dear Baffled: I don't know What's he getting^

3 Are birth control pills deductible^

Signed, Confused in Cleveland

4 Dear Confused: Only if they don't work

5 Is it possible for a man to be in love with two women at the same timei

Signed^ Perplexed in Pittsburgh

6 Dear Pittsburgh: Yes, and also dangerous^

7 Our son was married in June,, Five months later his wife had a 10-pound baby girL They said the baby was premature, Tell me, can a baby this big be that early?

Wondering in Walla-Walla

8 Dear Wondering: The baby was on time, but the wedding was late

Chapter 1 6 : Punctuation: Commas Are Our Friends 2 0 9

The Comma: A Major Player

Punctuation helps readers identify clusters of words between and within sentences Between sentences, the most common mark of punctuation is the period; within sen-tences, the most common mark is the comma

Commas tell us how to read and understand sentences because they tell us where to pause A correctly placed comma helps move readers from the beginning of a sen-tence to the end A misplaced comma can create more confusion than a conversation with a teenager

Here are the guidelines that govern comma use

First Impressions Count

Use a comma after introductory and concluding expressions:

• Use a comma after an introductory prepositional phrase In each sentence, the introductory phrase is underlined

Example: Along the route from the house to the woods Hansel and Gretel left a

trail of old lottery tickets

• Use a comma after an introductory participial phrase

Example: Excited by their approach, the witch called her agent and decided to

take a meeting

• Use a comma after an introductory subordinate clause

Example: When Hansel and Gretel arrived, they were astonished to find the TV

contract already prepared

• Use a comma after the greeting of an informal letter

Examples: Dear Sammi, Dear Mudface, _ * ^

• Use a comma after phrases that show rf^3^ S Q u o t h t h e M a v e n —

contrast ^ 5 i Basically, commas are like

spicy chilies or little children: A

Example: The neighbors return home

at all hours, often drunk as skunks

Use a comma at the close of any letter

Examples: Yours truly, Sincerely, Yours

until Niagara falls,

little goes a long way The last thing you want are excess com-mas hovering over your writing like the Goodyear blimp over the Orange Bowl

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Sentence Interruptus

Use a comma after interrupting words and expressions

• Use a comma to set off interrupting words and expressions The interrupting words are underlined in the following example

Example: Windows, as you know, is the best $89 solitaire game you can buy

• Use a comma to set off words of direct address (words that tell to whom a remark is

addressed) The words in direct address are underlined in the following example

Example: Mr Happy, did you know that "kitty litter" is throwing cats out a car

window?

• Use a comma with names and titles

Example: Mr Gary Goldstein, Editor

• Use a comma to set off words in apposition (words

that give additional information about the preced-ing or followpreced-ing word or expression) The words

in apposition are underlined in the following examples

Example: A light sleeper, my landlord is the first

to awake when he hears the chains rattle

Example: My landlord, a light sleeper, is the first

to awake when he hears the chains rattle

• Use a comma to set off a nonessential clause (a

clause that can be omitted without changing the sentence's basic meaning) The nonessential clause in underlined in the following example

Example: Philosophy, a science that lets us be

unhappy more intelligently, is being offered this semester at the local university

• Use a comma to separate items in a series

Example: We bought marshmallows, graham

crackers, and chocolate to make those delicious campfire treats

You Could Look It Up _,

Words in apposition

give additional information about

the preceding or following word

or expression

Danger, Will Robinson

Never use commas to

set off an essential clause, a

clause that cannot be omitted

For example: Philosophy is the

science that lets us be unhappy

more intelligently

Take My Word for It

The comma before and in a

series of items is optional

C h a p t e r 1 6 : Punctuation: Commas Are Our Friends 2 1 1

Danger, Will Robinson

Do not use a comma before the ZIP Code in an address Also, on an envelope, the Post Office prefers no comma after the city, either Just two spaces between both the city/state and state/ZIP

In Media Res

Use a comma to set off parts of a sentence:

• Use a comma to separate parts of a

compound sentence Use the comma

before the coordinating conjunction

Remember: The coordinating

conjunc-tions are and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet

The coordinating conjunction is

under-lined in the following example

Example: The faucet stopped working,

and the sink leaks

• Use a comma to set off a direct quotation

Example: He said, "Lawyers are the larval form of politicians."

Example: "Lawyers," he said, "are the larval form of politicians."

• Use a comma to separate the parts of an address

Example: She lives at 763 Main Street, Farmingdale, New York 11735

Dazed and Confused

Use commas to prevent misreading:

• Use a comma to clarify any potentially confusing sentences

Huh: To get through a tunnel must be dug

Revised: To get through, a tunnel must be dug

Of course, you're usually much better off just revising the sentences so there is no possibility of a chowderhead misreading your words

Bean Counters

Use commas with numbers:

• Use a comma between the day of the

month and the year

Examples: December 7, 1941, July 20, 1969

Danger, Will Robinson

Do not use commas when writing telephone numbers, page numbers, or years

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• Use commas to show thousands, millions, and so on

Examples: 1,000; 10,000; 100,000; 1,000,000

Constant Commas

Add commas as necessary in the following sentences

1 Even though it is not among the top rated shows shown on a single night The

Wizard ofOz is generally considered the most successful single program in TV

history

2 My friend Stephan a very picky eater refuses to eat any vegetables at all

3 A child who is under the age of eight should not be left alone without a sitter

4 A mature child of 10 or 11 however can usually be trusted home alone

5 Among the top man-made attractions in the United States are the Golden Gate Bridge Mount Rushmore the Statue of Liberty and Hoover Dam

6 Let's find a fast cheap restaurant

7 The Academy Awards were first telecast on March 19 1953

8 No you can't pile up 10000 bricks and try to climb to the roof

Answers

1 Even though it is not among the top rated shows shown on a single night, The

Wizard ofOz is generally considered the most successful single program in TV

history

2 My friend Stephan, a very picky eater, refuses to eat any vegetables at all

3 No commas at all

4 A mature child of 10 or 11, however, can usually be trusted home alone

5 Among the top man-made attractions in the United States are the Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, and Hoover Dam

6 Let's find a fast, cheap restaurant

7 The Academy Awards were first telecast on March 19, 1953

8 No, you can't pile up 10,000 bricks and try to climb to the roof