Grammar Three_ Commas.pdf

Grammar Three Six rules for commas, and the sixth one is kinda fucked up when you think about it Rule One: between main clauses Commas separate independent clauses when they appear in the same sentence, but only when they are connected with a coordinating conjunction. Coordina...

Grammar Three Six rules for commas, and the sixth one is kinda fucked up when you think about it Rule One: between main clauses Commas separate independent clauses when they appear in the same sentence, but only when they are connected with a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions: FANBOYS F A N B O Y S O N O U R E O R D R T T Rule One: examples You have a great sense of humour but that joke was awful. You have a great sense of humour, but that joke was awful. I love listening to music so I take my headphones everywhere I go. I love listening to music, so I take my headphones everywhere I go. I don’t like potatoes nor do I like onions. I don’t like potatoes, nor do I like onions. Rule One: a cautionary tale Just because you see a coordinating conjunction doesn’t mean you need a comma. Sometimes a coordinating conjunction indicates a compound element: He walked through the entire store looking for dogfood and finally found a bag at the front. àhere, the coordinating conjunction “and” links two actions completed by the same subject àthis means there is only one independent clause here, not two, so no comma is necessary Rule one: related cautionary tale Another example of this: Bill and Ted had a reasonably fun adventure. à Here the coordinating conjunctions links two subjects into a single compound subject who act as one à We have two subjects but only one verb, meaning this is a single independent clause and no comma is necessary Rule Two: introductory elements Use commas to separate introductory elements (such as words, phrases, or dependent clauses) from the main clause that follows. While I was walking out the front door, my sweater got snagged and ruined. At the store, I ran into some friends. In the meantime, she went into the kitchen and drank. Allegedly, she stole six thousand diamonds. These elements frame the main clause but are not part of it. Therefore, we separate them with a comma. Rule Two: looking at it another way Sometimes these introductory elements can just as easily go at the end of the sentence rather than before. In this case, the comma usually isn’t necessary. My sweater got snagged and ruined while I was walking out the front door. I ran into some friends at the store. She went into the kitchen and drank in the meantime. Rule Three: items in a series Use a comma to separate all items when there are three or more in a list, as long as none of the list items have internal punctuation. I bought peaches, potatoes, and a jar of pickles. I love cats, dogs, and fish, but I absolutely hate ferrets. Rule Three (continued): the Oxford comma The comma before the last item in the series is commonly called the Oxford or serial comma. You must be consistent with using it or not using it, and there are times when not having it really damages your clarity. Thus, for scholarly writing, you should always use it, and you must use it on your grammar evaluation.  Why is the Oxford comma important? Without a comma between the last items, it risks reading like an appositive phrase, which is a small clause that renames or redescribes the noun it precedes or follows. A short detour into appositive phrases Examples: My wife, Dorothy, loves the opera. Virginia Woolf’s last novel, Between the Acts, is a masterpiece. According to Jim Watson, the mayor at the time, the private-public partnership behind Ottawa’s light rail system was the best option presented to city council. Rule Four: non-restrictive elements A non-restrictive element adds inessential information to the sentence. Thus, it is not necessary information for the clarity of the sentence. Conversely, a restrictive element is necessary for the clarity of the sentence. It gives the listener vital information for understanding the sentence. Because they are inessential information, non-restrictive elements are enclosed in pairs of commas. Rule Four: non-restrictive elements Examples: Virginia Woolf’s novel Between the Acts is a masterpiece. (restrictive, answering Which novel?) Virginia Woolf’s last novel, Between the Acts, is a masterpiece. (non-restrictive) I have three sisters. My sister Kelly has five children. (restrictive, answering Which sister?) I have only one sibling. My sister, Kelly, has five children. (non-restrictive) Rule Four: non-restrictive elements Non-Restrictive elements provide extra information that is not essential to the sentence. All uses of “which” are non-restrictive, and all uses of “that” are restrictive. Remember: restrictive here means “essential to understanding the sentence” and non-restrictive means “inessential to understanding the sentence” This means “that” is never attached to a comma, but “which” is almost always attached to a comma. Examples: The car that has a yellow spoiler caused the accident. The accident was caused by the car on the sidewalk, which has a yellow spoiler. Rule Five: parenthetical/transitional elements A parenthetical element is a word or group of words that interrupts the flow of a sentence and adds additional (but nonessential) information to that sentence. Use commas to set off parenthetical elements. When they fall in the middle of a sentence, commas go on both sides of the element. Only one comma is needed if it appears at the beginning or the end. Rule Five: parenthetical/transitional elements Examples: I am, to be frank, going to miss this place. I hate getting needles; however, I let the doctor give me a flu shot. The police need to be held accountable; therefore, they should wear cameras. Later, the ratcatcher showed up at my house. Rule Six: the weird one You will not be tested on this rule, but you should at least know it exists. When you have a bunch of adjectives in a sentence together, sometimes they need commas and sometimes they don’t. So let’s talk about coordinate and cumulative adjectives. Rule Six: Cumulative adjectives You will not be tested on this rule, but you should at least know it exists. Cumulative adjectives describe different aspects of a noun, and therefore have to be put into a specific order: quantity, opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, and purpose/qualifier. Those who speak English as a first language often have an innate sense of this order, but it is not often talked about. Cumulative adjectives are not separated by commas because they are different descriptions linked together rather than a list of the same descriptions. Rule Six: Cumulative adjectives You will not be tested on this rule, but you should at least know it exists. Examples: It was a lovely little old sharp-edged green-handled French silver whittling knife. [quantity, opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose] Three massive red balls fell from the sky. [quantity, size, colour] Rule Six: Cumulative adjectives You will not be tested on this rule, but you should at least know it exists. Examples: It was a lovely little old sharp-edged green-handled French silver whittling knife. [quantity, opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose] Three massive red balls fell from the sky. [quantity, size, colour] Rule Six: Coordinate adjectives You will not be tested on this rule, but you should at least know it exists. Coordinate adjectives describe the same aspect of a noun, usually the quality of the noun, meaning their order could be changed without undermining the clarity of the sentence. Examples: The bright, warm, sunny day was perfect for baseball. The sunny, warm, bright day was perfect for baseball. You are wearing a tasteful, elegant dress. You are wearing an elegant, tasteful dress. Want to study for your evaluation? Here’s where I’d start! Remember, you will not be tested on rule six! Make sure you’re familiar with the five other rules. Can you list all six? What is the Oxford comma and why is it important? Are commas necessary for restrictive or non-restrictive language? When do we use a comma with a coordinating conjunction and when do we avoid it? What is an introductory element and why do we use commas with it? When do we use commas in a list of items and when do we use semicolons? Can you recognize a parenthetical or transitional phrase?