grammar workshop

The rules for using commas have been changing since I was a child and was taught to put a comma anywhere my voice would drop slightly in a sentence. This resulted in lines full of tiny fishhooks, and over the years people grew tired of so many marks of punctuation and began eliminating them.

Depending on your age and where you went to school, you will feel comfortable with more (if you're older) or fewer (if you're younger) commas. What kind of a rule is that? A poor one, but grammar is basically a DESCRIPTION of how people speak and write, not a set of rules which people learn and obey like traffic signals.

The most basic rule of thumb for using commas is, "when in doubt, leave it out." Beyond this most basic rule, there are a few guidelines for the use of commas. However, using these guidelines requires a clear understanding of independent clauses.

The independent clause is the most basic sentence unit. It must have a subject and a verb, and it must not be introduced by what are called dependent or subordinating words. Let's start with the idea of the verb--here is a simple trick that works every time. Start with any sentence:

John sat at the table until ten o'clock.

John sits at the table until ten o'clock.

Put that sentence into the future tense:

John will sit at the table until ten o'clock.

Look at the part that you changed in order to change the time or tense of the sentence:

OK. You've found the verb. Now, look for whatever does the verb. Who sits? John sits. Whatever does the verb is its SUBJECT. That's all there is to it.

However, there are many groups of words that include a verb, and a subject, but fail to make the grade as independent clauses. That's because they are introduced by a special kind of word called a SUBORDINATOR, or a DEPENDENT WORD. Here is a list of some of these words so you'll get a clear idea of what kind of words they are, and why they interfere with a clause's independence:

after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, ever since, how, if, in order that, since, so, so that, than that, though, unless, until, what, whatever, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, whether, which, whichever, while, who, whom, whose, why

These subordinating words all make you expect something more in the sentence; they lead you to ask, what about that?

As John sat at the table doing his homework.

Well, what about it? What happened as John sat there?

Incidentally, my last sentence starts with one of those subordinating words, yet it is a complete sentence, or independent clause, because it is a QUESTION. When one of these subordinating words introduces a question, it does not interfere with the group of words being an independent clause so long as the standard requirements of verb and subject are met.

And, finally, notice that I said "complete sentence or independent clause." Are they the same? Yes, except for one detail: the independent clause is part of a larger sentence, while the identical group of words becomes a sentence if you start it with a capital letter and end it with a period.

John sat at the table.

John sat at the table while Mary sang.

The first group of words is a complete sentence; the second group of words INCLUDES the first group of words, but then adds some more words, so we then call "John sat at the table" an INDEPENDENT CLAUSE.

If you have a sentence which consists of two independent clauses, joined by a conjunction (and, yet, but, or, so), you MUST place a comma BEFORE the conjunction.

Jimmy ran to the store, and Jane rode her bike.

Spot ran in circles, but Edgar merely sat still and howled.

I sat down, so the people behind me could see.

If your sentence starts with an introductory group of words BEFORE the main sentence, separate this group of words from the body of the sentence with a comma.

Although it was very late, I simply could not sleep.

During the interminable lecture, I fell asleep.

While Jack went to fetch a pail of water, Jill fell down and broke her crown.

If your sentence includes a group of words that are really EXTRA, that is, a group of words that could be removed from the sentence without really changing the meaning of the whole sentence, then set this group of words off with commas:

At six am, before sunrise, I walk the dog.

The words, "before sunrise," could be removed from the sentence without much loss of meaning. So, they are an "extra" group of words, and as such, set off with commas.

Single words used for emphasis, especially at the beginning of a sentence, are often set off by a comma.

Shockingly, the dog ate cat food for breakfast every morning.

Incidentally, I would prefer an armadillo to a cat.

Commas are used in writing dates and addresses, although even these uses are changing.

January 10, 1942 or 10 January 1942

1313 Vest-pocket Drive, Fairfax, VA 220006 or

1313 Vest-pocket Drive, Fairfax VA 220006

If you have a series of words, such as apples, oranges, grapes and pears, you must set these words off with commas, except the word just before the "and." Here, it is a matter of choice.

I like apples, oranges, grapes and pears.

I like apples, oranges, grapes, and pears.

As with so many aspects of English (or any language), taste, fad and purpose have a lot to do with these conventions.

When NOT to use commas: the worst error you can make with a comma is the COMMA FAULT, or COMMA SPLICE. A comma fault occurs when you join two independent clauses with a comma and NO CONJUNCTION. It can be a serious problem, because at times it can distort the meaning of what you are trying to say. However, you will notice, if you read the newspapers, magazines and books, that many professional writers use comma faults. The secret lies in knowing when it is ok, and recognizing when it will distort the meaning of your sentence or seem ungrammatical to your reader.

Jimmy went to the store, Susan went to the movies.

Oscar dug the trench, Janine set up the tent.

While these sentences are clear enough, and the meaning is not lost or distorted, they are considered bad form, so avoid them.